Meet Lukas

Born in Knoxville, Tennessee, Lukas was diagnosed at birth with bladder exstrophy, a rare condition that happens when a baby's bladder sticks out through the wall of the stomach.

Lukas' mom shared, “We had never heard of bladder exstrophy before. It scared me. I wasn’t sure what this meant for him. Is he going to be able to use the bathroom? Is he going to be able to have kids?”

Through connections in a bladder exstrophy Facebook group, Lukas' family found Nationwide Children's Hospital and prepared to have his first procedure at 7 months old. “We heard about Dr. Cuckow, Dr. Jayanthi and the Nationwide Children’s program through Facebook. I researched them, and the program, and knew that’s what we wanted to do."

The Bladder Exstrophy team at Nationwide Children's is the first program in the U.S,. to offer a unique two-step treatment to caring for newborns with this condition. The first surgery to close the bladder takes place when a child is a few weeks to a few months old. Then, between ages one and two, the second procedure, called the Kelly Procedure, creates the sphincter muscles, to more actively allow the bladder to grow. This approach, pioneered by Dr. Peter Cuckow, leads to shorter hospital stays and better continence outcomes without the need for osteotomies.

Lukas' mom said of their hospital stay, “They made it feel like home. I feel like I can be a mom at this hospital. We loved the therapeutic recreation, the massage therapist. I learned how we can do a lot of this when we get home too!"