Nine-year-old Bennett Pace from Bedford is one of 12 kids named Riley Champions this year.
Bennett was born with a condition called hydronephrosis that enlarges the kidney. His father, Josh Pace, said Bennett had three surgeries in the first few years of his life to treat the condition.
“It was pretty tough not knowing if our baby at that time, a one-year-old, was going to function in life normally with two kidneys,” Pace said.
Bennett doesn’t remember much from the surgeries but does recall feeling scared going to the doctor often.
“I kind of remember driving up there and getting in there and having to wait a while,” Bennett said.
Even though Bennett’s condition is stable now, he still can’t play contact sports such as football. But he’s able to play basketball and baseball, which he has from a young age. He hopes to be a professional basketball or baseball player when he grows up.
“Now, I don't have to worry about playing like sports, and I don't have to worry about like getting hit or something like that,” he said.
Bennett has yearly appointments to monitor his condition, but his dad said he’s going in the right direction.
“As parents, we're always worried about it, just because we want our kid to be as healthy as he can be,” Pace said. “And anytime Bennett gets sick or a fever or something like that, we have to be cautious that it's not an infection within his kidney, and so it's in the back of our mind all the time, just the fact that he is still living with this condition, and we have to monitor that.”
The Riley Children’s Foundation recognizes children every year for courage shown while navigating health issues. As a Riley Champion, Bennett has had the opportunity to meet other kids who have been served by Riley.
