A New Jersey family is desperately seeking a living donor to save Thaddeus Giansanti, an eighth-grader who was born with kidney disease. 

Thaddeus has had multiple surgeries throughout his 13 years, including one to remove a kidney as a baby.

Despite his struggles, he has remained positive and optimistic, his parents shared with Fox News Digital.

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“His remaining kidney is now failing,” said his father, Carlo Giansanti. “We are not a match, so now we’re asking for help from the community.”

The family first found out about their son’s kidney disease before he was born, when an ultrasound detected a potential issue.

“It was nothing alarming at that point — it looked like he had extra fluid when he was born,” Thaddeus’ mother, Christa DeMark, told Fox News Digital. “Everything seemed normal, but right before we were leaving, they noticed an elevated creatinine number (a measure of kidney function in blood tests) that led to us being in touch with nephrology.”

She added, “There was something wrong with the ureters (tubes that carry urine from the kidneys to the bladder) and the formation of the kidneys.”

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Thaddeus spent an extended period of time in the NICU, where he had multiple procedures. Before he was even 5 months old, he underwent a left nephrectomy to remove his left kidney. 

His remaining kidney was diagnosed with chronic kidney disease, which has required lifelong medications.

“He’s been with nephrology and nephrologists his entire life, and up until last year, everything’s been stable, but that’s been slowly changing,” DeMark said. “He’s getting bigger, and it’s been putting more stress on his remaining kidney.”

Doctors informed the family that their best course of action would be to find a living donor.

“Everything’s been sped up based on his bloodwork lately,” DeMark said. “So it’s looking like we need something quicker than we thought, which is why we’re looking for living donors.”

“It has pushed us to rely on faith in a way that’s very palpable — we are just coming together as a family and taking each day as it comes.”

If Thaddeus does not receive a kidney transplant within a couple of weeks, he will need to be put on dialysis, according to his doctors.

“It’s obviously been challenging for him,” DeMark said. “He’s dealing with it very well, but these are difficult situations we’re navigating.”

His parents describe Thaddeus as a smart, outgoing boy — a straight-A student who was recently awarded multiple scholarships for next year, when he will become a high-school freshman.

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Thaddeus is very athletic and enjoys playing soccer, golfing and fencing. He also plays piano and often volunteers in his community, including being an altar server and working with the local food pantry.

“He loves his family, and loves doing things with his family,” DeMark said. “He’s just a great kid.”

Thaddeus’ parents said they have not shared much about their son’s medical condition until now. “We wanted Thad to just be the bright, happy person that he is, so we’ve minimized it for years,” DeMark said. 

But in the last couple of weeks, as their son’s condition has become more dire, they have started to speak out about their situation.

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“We never expected to have such an outpouring of people who cared or people trying to help — it’s been incredibly humbling,” DeMark said.

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“It has pushed us to rely on faith in a way that’s very palpable — we are just coming together as a family and taking each day as it comes,” she went on. “We are remaining hopeful because we know there’s a solution to this problem. We just need help.”

To be considered for the donation program, kidney donors must be 45 or younger, have a BMI under 30 and match Thaddeus’ O blood type.

For those who are considering becoming donors, DeMark emphasized that it entails a laparoscopic procedure with a “fairly quick” healing process that is covered by their insurance, not the donor’s.

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“The miracle Thad needs right now is people who have the ability to step up,” she added. “He is a great kid, a kind kid.”

Those interested in being considered as a donor can complete this Kidney Transplant Living Donor Questionnaire.

Country music star Jessie James Decker is getting real about her health and fitness this year, alongside her family.

In a viral moment posted to Instagram, Decker, who is married to former NFL wide receiver Eric Decker, shared a video of her squatting with a barbell at the gym. The caption reads: “2026 energy! LFG💪”

The video, which has more than 111,000 likes, promotes a focus on “marriage body,” rather than “revenge body.”

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“Forget revenge body. How about marriage body,” the text on the video reads. “How about we get hotter & hotter for the person who chose us forever”

The post received praise from other celebrities and influencers.

“Biggest fan of this belief,” actress and wellness influencer Daniella Monet commented.

In an interview with Fox News Digital, Decker revealed some of her top wellness habits that help her uphold these standards, while feeling her best mentally and physically.

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The mother of four responded that her No. 1 wellness tip is drinking lots of water.

“Water, water, water,” she said. “I drink water all day. I even have it next to my bed, drinking it all night.”

“My mom swears by it. My mom walks miles and miles every day, drinks tons of water, and she literally looks like she’s aging backwards,” the singer added. “We’re like Benjamin Button. We’re about to meet in the middle and look the same age here soon. She looks incredible.”

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In addition to focusing on hydration, Decker continues to follow many of her mother’s practices, including eating “really healthy.”

“We cook everything at home. I mean, I barely go out,” she said. “Everything I make is from scratch from home.”I really think when you know what you’re putting in your body, that’s the best bet always.”

She summarized, “Water, cook at home and just stay active — it’s really that simple.”

Decker also instills this mentality into her children — Vivianne, Eric Jr., Forrest and Denver — as sports, outdoor play and pickleball are daily rituals in their household.

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“You know, Vivi’s a gymnast — she’s in the gym five days a week … And little Eric is constantly doing sports,” she told Fox News Digital.

“They’re active … they are busy, busy, busy. They don’t sit around on iPads. They’re out there in the wildlife, barefoot and being free.”

Staying active is something the entire family embraces together, especially when they’re traveling.

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“We’ve done family workouts together, [and] we stay active together,” the singer said. “Maybe when we’re on vacation, we’re doing bike rides together, or whether it’s a football game outside or throwing the ball on the beach.”

One sport in particular has become a family favorite.

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“We love pickleball. That’s probably the thing we all do every day,” Decker said. “We have a pickleball court in the backyard, and if we go on vacation, my husband’s like, ‘Is there a pickleball court at this place?’”

The Trump administration’s January rollout of the new, inverted food pyramid has sparked some debate in nutrition circles, as it places a stronger emphasis on dairy, red meats and foods higher in fat.

The top of the pyramid, which is now the wider part of the structure, is built on meat, fats, fruits and vegetables, while whole grains are at the narrow bottom.

In an interview with Fox News Digital, Dr. Mark Hyman, co-founder of Function Health and author of the new book “Food Fix Uncensored,” commented on the backlash the new guidelines have received.

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“The pyramid is just a graphic representation of the content … and it’s really impossible to create a proper visual that’s going to satisfy everybody,” said the Massachusetts-based expert. “Could it have been better? Sure.”

Although he acknowledged there is room for improvement, Hyman, host of “The Dr. Hyman Show” podcast, praised the new model for focusing on what’s been driving obesity in America.

“Did it flip the script from what we used to have, which was a low-fat, high-carb set of recommendations from the government that caused the obesity, diabetes epidemic and all the resulting costs and consequences on society?” he asked. “Yeah, we needed to fix that.”

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In his new book, Hyman writes that a central component of America’s dietary policy is what Americans are told to eat — and why.

“I think it was a good step in the right direction.”

The doctor highlighted key updates to U.S. dietary guidance, including a stronger emphasis on whole foods, limits on highly processed products and sugar-sweetened beverages, and revised protein recommendations to “reflect the current science.”

“This is revolutionary,” Hyman said.

The updated pyramid also recommends consuming whole grains, while previous guidance green-lit white flour in portions, which the doctor says is not optimal for human health.

The guidelines are “a bit more protein-forward” than before, Hyman noted, with less of an emphasis on low-fat and non-fat dairy. The expert called the low-fat movement “problematic.”

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“The data didn’t support it,” he said. “It was maybe even the opposite — there was some evidence that kids who had low-fat or non-fat milk actually had more obesity issues because it’s not as satisfying.”

“On the whole, I think [the guidelines are] a big improvement,” Hyman said. “Are they perfect? No. Were there problems? Yes. But it’s a radical departure from what was, and I think it was a good step in the right direction.”

Many Americans struggle with a variety of health conditions that may require specialized diets, such as high cholesterol, inflammation or lactose intolerance.

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Hyman noted that if he had written the guidelines himself, he would have specified that dairy is not a mandatory recommendation.

“There’s no scientific evidence that humans require it,” he said. “It’s a perfectly fine choice if you want to make it.”

Dairy consumption should be a “personalized choice” based on how it affects a person, said the doctor, adding that it would be “problematic” guidance to tell Americans they must choose three servings per day.

“It should be understood that 75% of the population is lactose-intolerant, that many people have inflammatory or other issues as a result of consuming dairy — and it should be a personalized choice based on how it affects them.”

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Consuming protein also requires a level of personalization, the expert said, particularly for those who have certain medical conditions, like kidney failure.

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“[The government] could have made more nuanced statements around aging and longevity … and [around] higher protein needs when you’re older, when you are sick, and so forth,” Hyman added. “I think there’s some nuance there that could have been underscored.”