A Small reason to bring the community together for the kids!

UVA Miracle Kid, Lindsey Ann Hall, was born with only 1 kidney and diagnosed with stage 4 chronic kidney disease two days after her early arrival (at 32 weeks). With that also came a diagnosis of Branchio-oto-renal syndrome, all of which means she’ll need a kidney transplant as she gets older.

Since her graduation from our NICU, Lindsey’s family, including her grandparents Bill and Kathleen Small, have embraced being part of the UVA family. They wanted to find a way to give back to the hospital that helped Lindsey while involving the community and raising awareness for CKD. The Smalls involved the family business, Small Country Campground, and turned their fall festival, Cue & Cruz, in to a fundraiser for pediatric kidney research at UVA.

It was such a success that it has now become an annual event in their community that everyone looks forward to! It features live music, a nationally certified barbecue competition, classic cars, and all kinds of kid-friendly fun- all while spreading the news about pediatric kidney care at UVA. This year’s event will be on 10/6 in Louisa, VA, and we can’t wait!

Lindsey’s family also recently got involved with Radiothon and made a big impact! Mom, Stephanie, shared Lindsey’s story on all of our 5 local stations, while her grandparents staffed the phones and called out for donations. Their phone calls alone, sharing of Lindsey’s story, raised over $4,000!

Now 2, she is not letting CKD stop her and is doing great! She’s avoided dialysis and is getting good reports from her regular check-ins. She’s quite the talker and loves hanging out with family! We like hanging out with them, too.  We think they’re pretty special.