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Young author writes about his kidney; he needs a transplant

Posted at 6:57 PM, Jan 19, 2017
and last updated 2017-01-20 18:04:14-05

MASON, Ohio -- Mrs. Malich's class at the Mason Early Childhood Center heard from an author, but it wasn't not a visiting one -- he's a fellow first-grader.

Logan and his aunt read to a class

Logan Wiesman co-wrote a book about his bumpy kidneys. At 7, he's already holding book signings.

"Why? I have something called polycystic kidney disease," Logan said.

Doctors discovered the disease when Logan was 2, after complaints of back pain concerned his parents, Ann and Dave Wiesman.

"Through an ultrasound, we found that he had tons of bumps all over his kidneys," Ann Wiesman said.

PKD is most commonly found in adults. In children, it tends to be more aggressive.

"We take a breath every day," Dave Wiesman said. "Sometimes we get new news. We get a blood result back that's not what we expect, and it's time for another breath."

Now Logan's kidney has grown enough that he needs a transplant. His aunt, April Cielica, had the idea for a book while she was working in Malaysia.

Logan's Bumpy Kidney

"Even when he was 4, kids at the nursery would say something about his stomach, and so we knew -- we knew we needed to give him a voice, and that was something I could do from afar," she said. "And so, he and I kind of worked on the words together from afar."

The book has been popular enough that this wasn't Logan's first signing. He even has a signature stamper.

"It's an adult situation that he's been able to find a way to communicate in terms that he can understand, and his little buddies can understand," Cielica said.

Logan was optimistic that he'll get a new kidney soon. His relatives have lined up to go through the rigorous testing process to give him a kidney. If a match is found, he could have a new smooth kidney by March.