A group of Lowcountry residents will soon be gathering to support a child in need of a kidney transplant.

Family members said Natalyn Mann, who is 19 months old, had both kidneys removed and was placed on a transplant list.

To help her family with travel and medical expenses, a fundraiser is scheduled for August 22nd from 4pm to 8pm at the Jasper County Farmers Market. The event features grocery vendors, baked goods sales, a dive booth, pony rides, face painting, music, and more.

“We hope everyone comes out and supports Natalyn and her family,” said Chelsea Brendlen, one of the organizers of the event. “We hope people from Jasper and Beaufort County will come to the fundraiser.”

Natalyn’s aunt, Sara Cathey, is from Jasper County and is a paramedic for Beaufort County Emergency Services. Her parents are Erika and Mikeal Mann from Beaufort.

“Natalyn has a very lively and outgoing personality,” said Cathey. “She’s the perfect combination of cute and cheeky. She loves her troubles, her kitten and every dog ​​she can get her hands on. She has won several beauty pageants in the past year, loves swimming, swings and singing.”

On May 31, Natalyn was rushed to a local emergency room and then flown in a helicopter to the Medical University of South Carolina in critical condition, Cathey said. On June 1, she was diagnosed with complete kidney failure.

“It took her many weeks to get an answer because what she was experiencing was so rare,” said Cathey. “She was found to have bilateral kidney stenosis, which is a narrowing of her aorta that supplies blood to her hepatic stomach and intestines, and her pancreas is also wrapped around her small intestine. She is currently on dialysis and is taking several oral blood pressure medications, to try to stabilize their blood pressure. ”

Both of Natalyn’s kidneys had to be removed on July 8th. Cathey said there aren’t any answers yet, even though it appears to have been caused by a genetic problem.

About a week ago, Natalyn began peritoneal dialysis, starting 24 hours a day. Doctors cut the time down to 10-12 hours a day so it is only needed at night when she can go home, Cathey said.

“All of her laboratory results have been stable with the dialysis,” said Cathey. “Doctors say that hopefully she can go home in 1-2 more months. She will have to take three oral medications for her blood pressure and dialysis every day until she has a kidney transplant. Her parents and her parents.” The family must Attend courses at home to learn how to operate the dialysis machine. Her doctors are very optimistic that she will have a transplant at this time no later than next year. ”

Cathey said her niece had been in a good mood throughout the situation and put a smile on everyone’s face, even though there was still a long way to go.

“On behalf of me and my family, we are indescribably grateful for the love and community support for my sweet baby niece Natalyn,” she said. “The last year has been very tough for everyone and it is really a nice thing for so many to come forward and show support.”