Boy awaiting kidney transplant takes special trip, meets football hero Jimmy Garoppolo – WWNY

MINOT, Maine (WABI/Gray News) – A lifelong San Francisco 49ers fan made a memorable trip with his son last week to watch their favorite team play.
Matt Boutwell brought his 8-year-old son, Jamison, to Atlanta to see the 49ers take on the Falcons to celebrate the boy’s birthday.
Boutwell said Jamison could also use some normalcy in his life as the family awaits a kidney transplant for him.
The special trip was made even more memorable as San Francisco 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo gave Jamison a towel after spotting him in the crowd.
“And the reason why? It was my birthday,” Jamison said.
For Boutwell, it was a bonding experience with his son and something that could take their minds off the current situation for a little bit.
“It really means a lot to me, honestly. Matt’s a great dad,” said Bethany Short, Jamison’s mom.
Amid the joyful moments were signs of Jamison’s everyday reality.
“He had to take a big break on our trip this weekend. He went to sleep for about 14 hours,” Boutwell said.
According to the family, they first noticed something was off with Jamison’s health when they started potty training. Trip after trip to the doctor yielded no answers, and they say their questions were dismissed.
“We switched his pediatrician, and they did a urine test on the first appointment. The team said they believed he had diabetes insipidus,” said April.
However, that was just the tip of the iceberg. The actual cause was a blockage in Jamison’s urinary tract that the family said should have been caught before he was even born.
“He was born with something that wasn’t caught, and it wasn’t caught for years. It damaged his bladder and kidneys, and now we’re chronically managing those daily,” Boutwell said.
About three years ago, the family said they learned Jamison would need a kidney transplant and are waiting for a match.
The family has started a Kidney4Jamison Facebook page and urged anyone interested in seeing if they’re a match to message them.
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