LDL. Nine-Year-Old Alabama Boy Receives Life-Saving Kidney Transplant After Rare Disease Battle
ARDMORE, Ala. — For nine-year-old Ruger Ennis, patience became a matter of survival. After spending eight long months waiting for a donor kidney, the Ardmore, Alabama boy was finally given the gift of life this week.
Ruger was born with a rare genetic condition known as Nail-Patella Syndrome, a disorder that affects bones, joints, kidneys, and eyes. At birth, his kneecaps were missing and his feet were turned backward. By the age of three, surgeons had performed major procedures to give Ruger new kneecaps and straighten his feet, allowing him to walk, run, and enjoy childhood like any other kid.
For five years, Ruger thrived.
But everything changed in March 2025, when a simple sinus infection led doctors at Children’s of Alabama to discover something far more serious. After a series of tests, Ruger was diagnosed with Focal Segmental Glomerulosclerosis (FSGS), a rare and aggressive kidney disease that causes scarring inside the kidney’s filtering units. In just over a month, Ruger’s condition progressed to end-stage kidney failure.
“Ruger needed either continuous dialysis or a kidney transplant to survive,” his mother, Haley Schrimsher, said.
The months that followed were filled with uncertainty as Ruger waited for a donor. Despite the challenges, he remained upbeat, spending time with his favorite things — Minecraft, Legos, and Spider-Man — while bravely enduring medical treatments that no child should have to face.
Then, after eight months of waiting, the call finally came.
This week, Ruger received a life-saving kidney transplant. Doctors say the surgery was successful, and while he will need months of recovery and monitoring, the transplant has given him a second chance at a full, healthy life.
Thanks to the generosity of a donor family, Ruger is now on the road toward healing.
“Good things really do come to those who wait,” Haley said.
As Ruger recovers, his family is looking forward to a future filled with milestones, adventures, and the simple joys of childhood — something that once felt uncertain, but now feels possible again.
Ruger is expected to continue improving throughout 2026, when he hopes to return to being the energetic, playful kid everyone knows and loves.
And for Ruger, that means being Ruger again. 💚
