NOBLESVILLE, Ind. — The Sutton family has a lot to be thankful for. Their two-year-old miracle baby Jax was diagnosed with end-stage renal disease and needs a kidney transplant. Thanks to both of his parents being a match, that transplant should be coming in just a few months.
"We are excited. We are nervous. Every night when we are doing dialysis, we can see the light at the end of the tunnel. We are almost there," said Jax's mother, Katie Sutton.
Unfortunately, the kidney will not last forever, and he will need another one in the future. To help with future transplant-related expenses, 200 family members, friends and supporters came out Sunday to raise money and run two miles for Jax. Katie said they are humbled by the support.
"We could not have been happier, and [were] blown away by the community once again. It's insane to me all the people who have heard about his story and come out to support us," she said.
The Sutton family is hoping to raise $60,000 for the Children's Organ Transplant Association (COTA), which will allow Jax to access funds as needed to help with transplant expenses. So far, they are more than halfway to their goal.
"The fact that we have these funds for him in the future just takes a little bit of the pressure and gives us a little more relief," Katie said.
As Jax gets closer to their fundraising goal, his family said this event is just another example of how powerful their village is.
Celeste Stanley, Jax's aunt, said the upcoming procedure will be life-changing for the whole family.
"They'll be able to take a vacation and leave the house," Stanley said.
Even though they still have a long road ahead, Katie hopes their story encourages other families facing their own issues to keep moving forward.
"For anyone facing a similar diagnosis to not give up hope and keep the faith," Katie said.
For more information on how you can donate to COTA for Jax, visit this link.