What’s Your Cause?

Selecting my cause was simple.

When I was 39, I was diagnosed with focal segmental glomerular sclerosis (FSGS), a disease affecting the kidneys’ ability to filter blood, regulate blood pressure, and perform other vital functions. Within four years, my kidneys failed and I required dialysis to stay alive.

Being diagnosed with a chronic condition dramatically alters your life and impacts your loved ones. The National Kidney Foundation (NKF) came to our rescue when we needed a reliable friend and a valuable resource to help us learn about FSGS and manage my disease. NKF continued to be a support system when I had a kidney transplant in 2004.

Though my family couldn’t alter my diagnosis, supporting the mission of NKF became a source of comfort. We were eager to raise awareness for the importance of early detection so that other families would not have to face the same terrifying experience.

Above all else, we were grateful.

For more than a decade, NKF has been a proud member of Community Health Charities (CHC), whose mission unites caring donors in the workplace with causes like chronic kidney disease (CKD). By providing individuals with the opportunity to identify and support an organization or effort of personal significance, they’ve challenged millions of Americans to become philanthropists and fundraisers.

Identifying your cause and donating your personal time or resources is a powerful experience. It’s a means to give back to your community or to honor loved ones. Our causes give our lives purpose and allow us to take action when we’re feeling the most helpless.

My personal experience dealing with CKD and life post-transplant left me all-too familiar with the limitations of our health care system for kidney patients.  It compelled me to support the mission of NKF as a volunteer and eventually as a Board Member.  Now, as CEO, I’m driven to raise awareness around CKD which has reached startling proportions in the U.S.

With the increase in diabetes and high blood pressure — two major risk factors — the number of people diagnosed with kidney disease has increased by 57% in the last 10 years. Over 26 million American adults are living with CKD—and most of them don’t know it because symptoms are usually absent until the disease is very advanced.

Every 14 minutes another person is added to the waitlist for a kidney transplant, and unfortunately 13 people will die each day before it’s their turn to receive a kidney. Since my appointment as CEO, I’ve championed renewed investments in research, programs to improve the early diagnosis of kidney disease, and initiatives aimed at reducing the waitlist for organs.

NKF is committed to elevating kidney health to a national priority by:

  • Launching our most ambitious program to date, CKDintercept, which will increase the detection of chronic kidney disease, improve treatment and management of early-stage CKD, and reduce medical and healthcare costs associated with CKD.
  • Committing funds for groundbreaking research that advances knowledge about chronic kidney disease, treatment and patient outcomes.
  • Providing healthcare professionals with the clinical guidelines to manage kidney disease, and educational courses covering the latest developments in kidney disease management and patient care.

I’m extremely grateful for those who have selected NKF among the thousands of CHC charity partners. Nationally, contributions from CHC campaigns have already had a profound impact on our ability to provide services to patients, those at-risk and their families. You too can make a difference in the fight against kidney disease.

Take a moment to consider what’s meaningful to you. If you haven’t already selected your cause, I invite you to join me, and the millions of others across the globe who will celebrate National Kidney Month and World Kidney Day on March 10th, with the goal of raising awareness for this growing public health problem. Select NKF this month, and together we can shine a light on kidney disease all year long.

There are many things you can do to join the fight and care for your kidneys:

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