Prayers For Miss Allie Paul

By: Brittany Bevis

One of the highlights every year at the All American Quarter Horse Congress is the Small Fry division, where the next generation of young equestrians hone their skills before moving up to compete in the big leagues. If you had the chance to watch the Small Fry Showmanship this year, you may have caught a glimpse of an adorable 7-year-old named Allie Paul who showed Genuine Sheik to a third place finish and NSBA Championship.

Independent and outgoing, this precocious little competitor was so confident in her horse’s pattern that she was ready and raring to go back into the arena for the final placings, even before her number was called out to return. “I was good, and my horse was good,” she says. “I’m going to get my prize.”

You’d never know, simply by looking at Miss Allie, that she suffers from a kidney disease known as branchiootorenal (BOR) syndrome, a genetic disorder that damages the kidney and can cause partial or complete hearing loss. Recently, the disease has progressed to the point that Allie will be heading to the hospital this evening to undergo dialysis in order to prepare for a kidney transplant on November 11th.

We spoke with Allie’s father, Judd Paul, who was able to explain his daughter’s history with the disease and how the medical procedure to give her a new kidney will take place.

“I was born with only one kidney,” Paul says. “She was born with both kidneys, but they are smaller in size. Over the years, they have slowly deteriorated to the point where the need for a transplant has come sooner than anticipated. [Her mother] Jennifer is a match and will be giving her a kidney. The doctors love that it’s coming from a parent, because that means it’s a really good match.”

“She will have a regular adult kidney. For a child to be big enough to take an adult kidney, they need to be 20-25 lbs, and Allie is well above that. They will actually be adding the kidney; they don’t remove the others, so she will carry around three kidneys.”

Despite the serious nature of Allie’s condition, the news of major surgery hasn’t dampened her spirits. This outgoing, little girl has been traveling to and competing at major horse shows around the country all summer, and it hasn’t slowed her down in the slightest. However, just a week or so before the Congress began, the family received a new health scare.

“About a month ago, she had a seizure,” Paul says. “We were very concerned that her kidneys were shutting down then, but the doctors checked and they were stable. Her kidneys had nothing to do with the seizure. We did a MRI of her head and brain and an EEG brain wave test, and the results were negative. When the seizure happened, she was at one of the top pediatric hospitals in the country, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital. They have a great program, and that’s where she will have her transplant.”

Because Allie will be undergoing major surgery, her recovery time is set at approximately six to eight weeks, while Jennifer’s recovery time will be four to six weeks. If all goes well, Paul hopes Allie will be able to return to school following Christmas break.

Of course, this means the entire Judd Paul Training Stables Team will not be making the trip to the upcoming AQHA World Show. However, two of their horses, Huntin A Girl and Onlythebestchocolate, will be shown under the guidance of Brian Cox in Junior and Senior Western Pleasure and the latter in Performance Halter Mares with Jason Smith.

“We want to thank them for helping out in this time of need,” Paul says. “We would like for people to keep her in their prayers and hearts. We head to the hospital tonight to start dialysis for Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Then, we’re coming home, and she will do dialysis every other day until her surgery the following week.”

We join our friends and family in the horse industry by sending our prayers of support and hope to the Paul family and wish both Allie and Jennifer a safe and speedy recovery.