Alyse Naquin Foundation

05/28/2026

ONE WHOLE YEAR!
365 days since Alyse got a second (ok third) chance on LIFE!
Today is Alyse’s kidney-versary.
May 27/28, 2025 will forever be the day(s) that showed Alyse there is so much life left to live!

May 27th was THE CALL, angel flight to Cincy, and the start of surgery for her to receive her new kidney.
May 28th is the day she awoke with a brand new/ healthy working kidney named “Leo”.

We celebrated Tuesday night at another (new to us) restaurant in Cincinnati- OTR (Over the Rhine) called Alcove to finish with her fav- chocolate cake lol

Wednesday, she had an ultrasound of her heart followed by an IVIG infusion.
They said because the medications they use after transplant knocks the immune system so much, sometimes a little boost is needed.

Thursday, she had an ultrasound of her kidney (actually got to see Leo and Linda!) followed by a doctors appt.

EVERYTHING is looking great! All kidney levels, blood levels, cholesterol levels, and both ultrasounds are NORMAL!
(Creatinine 0.57)
It’s been a long time of hearing “normal”- and Alyse has ROCKED her NEW NORMAL!

Changes this appt?
She gets to stop some meds she’s been on since transplant, decrease steroids and we are having to increase one and repeat labs in a week.
Otherwise, repeat labs every month and next appts are AUGUST AND DECEMBER! Hallelujah! Alyse asked for this so she doesn’t have to miss class, as with college classes getting more intense as she is now a junior! (Her first semester back in-person and finished with 5-As and 1-B)

Hopefully we can slowly cut ties with the pediatric kidney world as we begin transitioning into the adult kidney world- LOCALLY.
But, for now, Alyse and Cincinnati children’s/ Dr. Varnell still have “joint custody” of Leo.
Always a scary time, because they have taken such good care of him so far and we need to continue to take good care of him.

Alyse has been LIVIN LIFE! TRULY enjoying all the things this life has to offer….
We CAN NOT thank EVERYONE enough for the prayers- they have truly carried ALL of us and for the donations that helped us get back and forth to Cincinnati for the last year- hopefully only a handful of trips left!

As we head back home today, I can not stop thinking of how GOOD OUR GOD IS!

God is so so GOOD! Thank you Jesus! I pray Alyse has many many more medically uneventful years of life left with Leo!

04/26/2026

Happiest of Birthdays to our very own ALYSE NAQUIN! May your twenties be the very best years yet! I know you surely will try!
Cheers to 20 years!
Keep spreading those wings and living life to THE FULLEST!

04/17/2026

For the last 9years, Alyse and I have been traveling a lot together. Always around appointments, admissions, procedures, and with and without equipment and a dialysis machine!
We have gone from home to New Orleans LA, Houston TX, Wilmington DE, Cincinnati OH…..wherever 🤪 FSGS brought us.
We still go every other month to check on “Leo” who is STILL happy as a lark!

This weekend with got the privilege, AND the HONOR, to travel to Chicago IL to speak to the amazing employees of Travere Therapeutics. Just one day after getting the VERY FIRST FSGS drug FDA approved! They got to hear from a patient and caregiver just what living with FSGS is really like- to help give them a PURPOSE of ALL their hard work!
I’d say we NAILED IT- ending with a standing ovation!
(Who would have thought we could talk- for 54 minutes straight? Not me lol)

Thank you Kelly Helm and Travere for thinking of us! We hope we lit a big fire in your hearts! We surely enjoyed our time in the Windy City!

04/13/2026

Big strides in medicine today for people with Alyse’s original disease, FSGS. Praying she never has to use it (because Leo is happy and Healthy) but knowing the FIRST EVER drug was approved today is a BIG DEAL!

04/08/2026

God is GOOD!!!

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/17hmP3B8HS/?mibextid=wwXIfr

After years of battling a rare kidney disorder, 19‑year‑old Alyse Naquin is finally healthy enough to stand by her sister’s side at her wedding.

Read more from Meg Farris: https://www.wwltv.com/article/news/health/lafayette-family-finds-healing-and-hope-thanks-to-hogs-for-the-cause/289-fa1bf7c2-8855-4237-8ad6-9235accdd427?utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook_WWLTV

03/23/2026

We are here in Cincinnati Ohio today for our monthly check but this time labs before the follow up appointment. 🙏

It has been 10 whole months of Alyse rockin “Leo”. She has been doing soooo good! Enjoying life- finally having the energy and stamina to do all the college girl things- and that’s EVERYTHING PHI MU has to offer lol.

She is back IN person this semester of college, babysitting/ tutoring, and enjoying time with friends and family!
Praise God! Good is good! And Alyse is truly LIVING PROOF of the power of Prayer! Thank you for continuing to pray for Alyse and a long healthy life with “Leo”. Thank you Jesus!

03/12/2026

Thinking and Praying for all those with kidney disease, living and deceased donors!

12/15/2025

Praying for a successful ROUTINE kidney biopsy happing RIGHT NOW!
At the 6mth mark (hard to believe we are there), Cincinnati Children’s protocol is a biopsy- their protocol is why we came here. In God we Trust! And he has been soooo sooo GOOD!
Praying they get enough of a sample, find nothing, with fast healing (lying flat for 10hrs) and safe return home on Wednesday with no complications. 🙏

11/28/2025

Today….TODAY….is the day we are the MOST THANKFUL! What a fabulous day on this Thanksgiving Day to celebrate Alyse’s 6month kidney-versary with “Leo” the kidney!
6 whole months of living free. Free from nightly dialysis and feeling so worn out.

She has been feeling (and looking) so much better. Fantastic actually!

Alyse still has to:
Have monthly labs (with occasional lab work in between to check antirejection med levels).
We still hold our breath with every lab draw but Leo is so happy in there and Alyse is taking such good care of him!
(Creatinine 0.6 for my medical people)

Go to Cincinatti every month (hopefuly in the new year we can push those back to every other month or every 3 months) to see the kidney doctors.
For Decembers appointment, we will be there a few days to make sure the kidney is still just as perfect as he was when he went in.

Medications are every 12 hours and keep reducing in number with each passing month.

Drink 1.5L of water- no problem for the girl who could only drink 1.5 BOTTLES of water before transplant.

What has she been doing?
ENJOYING LIFE! It is sooo wonderful to see her beautiful life unfold.

She is about to finish her 3rd semester (2nd online semester) of college and the plan is to go IN PERSON for the upcoming spring semester.

She does all things PhiMu!

So tonight on a whole 6mths on her NEW LIFE, we are so VERY THANKFUL for Alyse’s health, her donor and his family, and for new LIFE!
From our family to all of you that have been on this journey with us, THANK YOU!
Thank you for all the prayers- for they have carried us through!

09/09/2025

How has it already been 3 weeks since we have been home? It feels like we just got back and also like we been home forever!

Alyse is LIVIN HER LIFE! Finally, doing all the things she should be doing. It’s like she has not skipped a beat. She is enjoying babysitting again, coffee dates, lunch dates, dinner dates, Red’s (the gym) dates, Sorority Bid Day, Phi Mu’s Fall Frenzy, bible study……that girl is BIZ-E! Sure makes our hearts so happy that she has been feeling so good- GOD IS GOOD!

Recent Lab work and today’s appointment PROVE how good God REALLY IS!

We even got to run into Brooke Badeaux for a quick lunch/ cookie in the cafe of the hospital today.

Still have some questions, let us help:
1. Alyse will remain online and has been rocking online school since classes started for this semester at ULL. Plan is to return in person for the Spring semester, majoring in kinesiology- Pre PA (physician’s assistant).
2. She is getting back involved in her sorority/ greek friends (old and new).
3. Y’all got to come home sooner than thought- yes! The plan still remains that we are committed to them (and their protocol) for 1 year. We are blessed to be home and for us to be able to go back and forth now.
4. What happened with dialysis? Is she still connecting at night? NO! Praise the LORD!
Because of her suscessful kidney transplant, she has nothing! She has to take meds at 9am and 9pm, drink 2.5-3 liters of water and eat a healthy diet/ whatever she wants! No more restrictions!!!!!

Next appt Oct 13th (that’s 5 weeks HOME)! Appts hopefully can go longer and longer apart once hit the 6mth mark (End of Nov/Dec).

Please continue to keep Alyse in your prayers as we still praying hard/ holding our breath for lab results. Prayers for her donors family. Prayers for the family and all of those who walk this journey along side her.
And please thank God for answered prayers!

And thank you. Thank you. Thank you. To ALL of you who have walked this LONG journey alongside of us! We would NOT be where we are today without ALL OF YOU! (Your thoughts, prayers, donations, dinners, rides, etc). It truly takes a village and we have the BEST!