American Kidney Fund

🌱How can your will grow our future? Many American Kidney Fund supporters create gifts in their estate plan to honor our roots and grow their legacy. Use this free will-writing tool from FreeWill to join them this spring: https://bit.ly/443dqky

Last week, the American Kidney Fund hosted our annual Kidney Action Summit in Washington D.C., connecting Ambassadors and their elected officials to discuss important legislation for the kidney community, the Living Donor Protection Act and The Chronic Kidney Disease and Improvement in Research and Treatment Act of 2023. 📌 Kidney Action Summit stats: 👉 37 AKF Ambassadors 👉 22 states and Washington D.C. were represented 👉 67 meetings total attended 👉 37 Senate meetings, 30 House of Representatives meetings 👉 Met with 43 Democrat offices, 23 Republican offices, 1 Independent office Thank you, Ambassadors, for joining us and sharing your stories with elected officials and advocating on behalf of the kidney community. Read more about the 2024 Kidney Action Summit: https://bit.ly/44TYrto

#ICYMI - the David Atkins Living Donor Assistance Fund is expanding to the New York metro area! Join us Wednesday, June 5th from 6pm - 9pm at Pineapple Club, New York City for a fun night of food and drinks in support of living donors! Purchase tickets and learn more: https://bit.ly/4bx82bX Interested in learning about the impact the David Atkins Living Donor Assistance Fund has had? Hear from Robin M., a December 2023 donor: “We have seen first-hand the miracle living organ donation makes possible. This has been the most profound experience of my life. I am truly grateful for the opportunity to have been a living kidney donor. To have the support of my transplant team, the American Kidney Fund, my family, friends and co-workers have made the experience possible and I could not be more thankful."

Applications for the 2024 Carolyn Wilson Dialysis Patient Scholarship Program are now being accepted! This scholarship provides support for dialysis patients and kidney transplant recipients living in #Arkansas, #Louisiana and #Oklahoma who are looking to further their #education or #vocationaltraining. Learn more and apply: https://bit.ly/3RlVTx1

This #ClinicalTrialsDay, we encourage #nephrologyprofessionals to learn more about the importance of participation by people of color in #clinicaltrials. Black, Hispanic, Native American and Asian American people have a greater chance of having kidney failure compared to white people. To make sure that treatments are safe and work for all people with kidney disease, it is important for clinical trials to include people from diverse backgrounds. Hear from AKF Ambassador Patrick Gee as he shares his personal story of volunteering to participate in Johns Hopkins Medicine's COVID-19 Vaccine Transplant Research Study and why he’s encouraging the community to learn more about #clinicaltrials and participate: https://bit.ly/3ww9rOm

This week, the American Kidney Fund is attending the National Kidney Foundation’s Spring Clinical Meetings in Long Beach, California. #NKFClinicals #NKFCSM We encourage attendees to stop by our booths and learn more about new AKF education initiatives like Know Your Kidneys, Kidney Health for All™, Kidney Kitchen and more. In addition to our booths, AKF Staff are presenting three posters during the Spring Clinical Meetings. ◾ Lower education levels associated with fewer patient-provider conversations about kidney transplant ◾American Kidney Fund's financial assistance program alleviates financial barrier to kidney transplant among low-income individuals ◾Patient perspective of hyperkalemia management: a focus group study Learn more about the three posters: https://bit.ly/4dC1Npb

SUBMISSIONS CLOSING SOON! Nominate your personal kidney hero today for the 2024 American Kidney Fund Hero of Hope award! The Hero of Hope award is one of the highest honors given to a kidney patient in the United States. Tell us about your kidney hero and how they have made an extraordinary contribution in the kidney community today by submitting your 2024 Hero of Hope nomination: https://bit.ly/3Qrw13Y Submissions will close Sunday, May 19th. The 2024 American Kidney Fund Hero of Hope will be honored at our annual national gala, The Hope Affair, in Washington, D.C. on October 8.

The American Kidney Fund's Kidney Health Coach program is a free, community health education program. After course completion, you will have access to the Kidney Health Coach portal, which includes tools and resources to help you host education sessions. Coaches can find support and share their experiences through the connected community of Kidney Health Coaches doing similar work, and continuing education (CE) credits are available at no-cost to eligible health care professionals. - 👋 Meet one of our long-time Kidney Health Coaches, Magdalene! ❓Q: When did you become a Kidney Health Coach? A: I became a Kidney Health Coach in 2018 while on Home Dialysis. ❓Q: How have you educated others about kidney disease? A: In 2017, I started educating the public about kidney disease through my blog, later linked to Facebook and 1:1 talks with members of my community. In 2018, I started educating people through my Facebook blog and connected pages whenever I had enough energy. ❓Q: If you could give one piece of advice to another Kidney Health Coach, what would you say? A: To a coach I would advise, prepare for your coaching session by learning about your audience and especially relatable areas. a) As adult learners what are they willing or motivated to learn. b) How the AKF resources and your own health beliefs and perspectives relate to them. c) How you can relate with your audience. ❓Q: If you could share one thing to someone about kidney disease, what would you share? A: I would tell anyone with kidney disease what a nephrologist told me, “kidney disease is a chronic illness but it does NOT mean you are terminal. You can live well if you are willing to make some changes and incorporate kidney care into your daily routine.” Thank you, Magdalene, for your dedication to educating your local community about kidney disease risks. Interested in joining Magdalene and becoming a Kidney Health Coach? Visit our website to learn more: https://bit.ly/3tsnSAm

Today, the American Kidney Fund announced a major expansion of its award-winning Know Your Kidneys program, now designed to be a customized experience—helping people know their kidneys, know their cause and know their plan. New resources available include an interactive tool that guides users to enter their lab results and other health information and then provides them with a personalized kidney health report. Learn more: https://bit.ly/3WAvKjj

AKF is proud to recognize Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Heritage Month during the month of May. #DidYouKnow Asian Americans are at an increased risk for kidney disease, which can be caused by diabetes? In Hawaii and California, Asian-Americans, Native Hawaiians and other Pacific Islanders get diabetes more often than whites. High blood pressure is the number two cause of kidney failure. It causes about 1 out of 4 cases (25%) in the United States. Almost 1 in 5 (more than 19%) Asian-American and Pacific Islander adults have high blood pressure. Learn more from additional AKF resources this #AANHPIMonth: Kidney Health for All: https://bit.ly/3tFRRZv Race/Ethnicity - Kidney disease risk factors: https://bit.ly/4b1nOMi Diversity in Clinical Trials: https://bit.ly/4b1Db7u Lupus Nephritis: symptoms, treatment and complications: https://bit.ly/4doP8pi IgA Nephropathy: https://bit.ly/3RYwk81