Abbey Sens: A Family’s Inspiration

"Don’t be afraid; it all gets better."

Abbey Sens of Chesapeake, VA, is a 15-year-old girl in ninth grade a cheerleader who likes to be with her friends and wants to be an environmentalist.

Abbey will sometimes say, “I feel like it never happened.”

It is her experience with autosomal recessive polycystic kidney disease (ARPKD), especially being on dialysis, undergoing a double nephrectomy, being in and out of the hospital multiple times and having a kidney transplant in July 2005.

Abbey was 8 years old before she ever exhibited symptoms of having polycystic kidney disease. She was in third grade when, in January 2000, she reported that her urine “had a red color.” After a series of tests at Children’s Hospital of the King’s Daughters (CHKD), she was diagnosed with ARPKD. Abbey’s parents, Dennis and Debbie Sens, were shocked and worried, especially after hearing the doctor say, “This is an awful diagnosis,” and being unsure of what the future would hold.

From the initial diagnosis, through the next couple of years, Abbey seemed relatively fine. Debbie and Dennis researched ARPKD, attended the June 2000 National Convention on PKD and met other families dealing with the disease. Tests also confirmed that no other members of their immediate family had PKD, including Abbey’s siblings, Austin (now 11) and Allison (now 18), which was very reassuring to everyone.

A Critical Period
In 2004, Abbey began to experience chronic back and side pain, along with episodes of unmanageable hypertension. She was in and out of the hospital in an effort to control it, and then, in April 2005, was hospitalized for nearly a month with dangerous blood pressure levels. Abbey was in severe pain, and to help alleviate that pain, she underwent a bilateral nephrectomy on April 30, 2005. The next day, Abbey started hemodialysis, and the search began for a kidney donor.

Throughout this critical time, Abbey was a “brave little girl,” according to her father. Dialysis was very difficult. She was weak and underweight, and, in early May, Abbey had a massive seizure that landed her in the Intensive Care Unit. It was the single most frightening moment for her family; however, Abbey came through. For her, the worst part was missing the things she liked, such as school and being with friends. She was not scared of the physical or medical part. Her strong faith and confidence in the CHKD medical staff sustained her will to get better.

Transplant and a Whole New Life
The search for a kidney donor involved many members of Abbey’s extended family. After many tests, her Uncle David was selected as the best match. He lives near Cincinnati, so they went through a lot of long-distance, pre-transplant preparation.

Abbey had her transplant on July 5, 2005. Dennis and Debbie credit the entire CHKD medical team, including Dr. Irene Restaino, a pediatric nephrologist, and Wendy Raines, the renal transplant coordinator, for the “expert, professional care” that helped Abbey get well and for providing wonderful support to her family.

Today, Abbey is back to a normal weight, has recovered and is living a normal life. She goes for regular check-ups, blood work and renal evaluation. Abbey also takes nearly 15 pills each day but has few dietary or physical restrictions.

The entire Sens family recently had a great time attending the Walk for PKD in Newport News, Virginia. They are involved in the PKD Foundation Tidewater Chapter and receive a lot of satisfaction from volunteering. Feel free to contact Dennis or Debbie at dmsens@cox.net to learn more about Abbey’s story.

To others coping with ARPKD, Abbey has a few words of advice: “Don’t be afraid; it all gets better.”

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