Kidney Reflux is a disorder that can cause permanent kidney damage if it's not taken care of.

A urinary tract infection in babies and toddlers can be one of the first signs of a more serious issue, kidney reflux.  A Charlevoix family knows first hand the struggles that come along with the disorder. 
Kate Wood, who is nearly two years old, has dealt with more than a dozen urinary tract infections.  "Reflux is a birth defect that allows urine to go backwards from the bladder to the kidney," explains Doctor George Steinhardt.  "It can be silent, often times there are no symptoms or sign of reflux, but reflux doesn't have much consequences unless a child as a urine infection in that event the infected urine can go from the bladder into the kidney and can hurt the kidney."  
Doctor Steinhardt, a specialist with the Helen DeVos Children's Hospital, says many times kidney reflux is not found until a child suffers an infection, but new technology is helping doctors diagnose problems even before a baby is born.   Kate's mother, Kelly, says doctors noticed her daughter had an enlarged kidney and delivered her four weeks early.  Kate was just six months old when she was first wheeled into the operating room so doctors could see the extent of her disorder. "She had her first procedure scheduled even before her first infection," said Kelly Wood.  
But within weeks a series of problems arose.  "She just had infection after infection, after infection and sometimes two at a time, sometimes three at a time," explains Wood.   "She had a difficult time because she kept getting so many infections in her first year of life, and because we treated her infections with a lot of antibiotics the germs kept getting stronger and stronger and more resistant," said Dr. Steinhardt. 
An eight hour long surgery when Kate was eleven months corrected the Kidney Reflux.  Doctor Steinhardt says it was a success. " She is now about a year after surgery and her ultrasound and her kidneys look great, she's had only one urine infection since surgery and in the six months prior to surgery she probably had about ten to fifteen urine infections with fever so she's really really doing great."  "Looking back I just think how resilient she is that its just amazing what she's been through and the experiences we've had," explains Kate's Mother.  "We're thankful we've had such great care from her doctors."  Doctor Steinhardt says some children do grow out of kidney reflux on their own, and do not require corrective surgery, but he says if children experience a series of infections medical procedures may be necessary.