GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. - Imagine telling a child they can`t have chocolate or play certain sports because it could harm them. That's the life one West Michigan girl after she was born with a rare type of kidney disease - and shes not the only in her family diagnosed with it.
6-year-old Lorelai is a kindergartner who was born with Polycystic kidney disease which limits her on certain activities she can play and even what she eats like chocolate, bananas and oranges.
But she isn't the only one who suffers from this. Her brother Shane, her mother Danielle and even her siblings and father have kidney disease, too just not as severe.
"We all have the same disease we all worry about how it's going to affect us and we all try to share knowledge as we gain it," said Danielle Mier, Lorelai's mother.
Lorelai's kidney function is currently at 30 percent and as a result she takes six different medications twice a day on top of having has to check her blood pressure three times a day.
"It (the blood pressure cuff) just gives you a little of a hug (she laughs)," Lorelai said.
Plus she gets frequent blood draws, something her mom says is making her one strong fighter. Even more important, the family knows the importance of staying active.
"It helps your kidneys to keep working," Lorelai said.
That's why every year the Mier family walks in the Grand Rapids Kidney Walk to help raise awareness and money for research along with helping educate others on how to prevent it.
"For her to be around other people that have the same issues and are fighting the same battles every day it really is encouraging to her and it's encouraging to us as parents and her family to know there's other people there's other moms out there that are fighting for their kids," Mier said.
