Meet Janessa, your 2024 Champion Child

Starting at age five, Janessa experienced recurrent urinary tract infections. At HSC Children’s Hospital in Winnipeg, doctors told the family that Janessa’s kidneys weren’t functioning properly; one was small, and the other was diseased.
By age 7, Janessa had reached Stage 4 kidney disease with 25 percent kidney function that continued to decline. Recognizing the need to be closer to the specialized pediatric care at Manitoba’s only children’s hospital, Janessa’s parents moved the family from their First Nations community in Pukatawagan to Winnipeg.
After support from pediatric nephrology specialists and a successful kidney transplant, Janessa is doing well and back in her community with family and friends.