National Kidney Month/World Kidney Day Letters to the Editor

Sending a letter to the editor to your local newspaper can be a great way to educate readers about chronic kidney disease (CKD) and the importance of National Kidney Month or World Kidney Day. Below are a few examples of letters on this issue that you may consider referencing as you write your own.

Although guidelines may vary, most newspapers have a required word length of 250 words or less. You can find out how to submit your letter, who to send it to and what the word length requirements are by calling your local newspaper or checking for this information on its website.

It will be important for you mention your own experience with CKD in your letter. The best way for members of your community to learn about CKD is from someone living with it, and you will provide the most effective “voice” during National Kidney Month for this reason. Please use these examples only as a guide and an inspiration to write your own letters. No one will be able to describe your experience and connection to kidney disease better than YOU!

If you have a letter to the editor that is published, please let us know by reaching out to Jordan Fahle, DPC Membership Coordinator. Jordan can be reached at jfahle@dialysispatients.org or (202) 789-6931.

Thank you for your participation!


Sample Letter #1: (**Actual letter by DPC Patient Ambassador Angela Lattimore, published January 19, 2010 in UpstateToday.com - SC)

Editor:

I have been living with chronic kidney disease (CKD), a condition now affecting more than 27 million Americans nationwide, for eight years. Because it was not diagnosed early, I must rely on dialysis three times every week for my survival.

March is National Kidney Month, and I hope my story will help inspire others in our community to become educated about CKD and its risk factors. Common conditions like diabetes, high blood pressure and obesity can lead to CKD, and it is important to talk to your doctor if you have one or more of these risk factors.

If you are diagnosed, there is hope, and you can maintain an active and healthy life while on dialysis. I volunteer with an organization called Dialysis Patient Citizens (www.dialysispatients.org), which provides tips for healthy living, education on CKD treatment and policies and ways to get involved with improving dialysis patients’ quality of life.

I hope people will take the time to learn more about this disease, so that together we can stop its progression.

Angela Lattimore
Seneca

Sample Letter #2:

To the Editor:

As someone living with chronic kidney disease (CKD), I know how important it is to be informed about your risk factors and to catch the disease early. [Insert details about diagnosis here – ex: Fortunately, I was diagnosed early and this helped me as I entered dialysis; or I didn’t know about my CKD until I had reached the point of kidney failure, and if I had known sooner, I could have been able to better manage my disease progression.

An estimated 27 million Americans now have CKD, and I thought it was important to let our community know that March 11th is World Kidney Day – a time to learn more about CKD and its risk factors, which include obesity, high blood pressure and diabetes. If you have any of these risk factors, you should ask your doctor about kidney disease.

If you become diagnosed with CKD, there is hope for a continued full and happy life. By keeping a healthy diet, exercising in moderation, and working with my doctor and dialysis care team, I am an example of someone living a complete life with kidney disease. I am also a member of the non-profit patient organization Dialysis Patient Citizens – www.dialysispatients.org – which provides education, resources and opportunities to advocate for favorable kidney care policies.

I hope that my letter will inspire someone to learn more about kidney disease during this very important time, and to share this information with the people they care about.

Thank you,
[Name/Hometown]

Sample Letter #3:

Dear Editor:

It is estimated that 27 million Americans have chronic kidney disease (CKD) – a condition that affects people of all ages, races and backgrounds, in all areas of our country and our state. I am one of those people living with CKD.

Unfortunately, CKD’s impact continues to grow, in part because many people are not aware of it and its risk factors. Common conditions like obesity, high blood pressure and diabetes are risk factors, and if you have one or more of these, you are encouraged to talk to your doctor about CKD.

March is National Kidney Month, a time for educating yourself and others about CKD. Although it is a serious condition that requires treatment, a full life can continue, as mine has. I am able to keep doing the things I love, and I have become a part of a larger dialysis patient community through a national non-profit patient organization called Dialysis Patient Citizens (DPC).

If you are interested in CKD and would like to learn more, I encourage you to visit www.dialysispatients.org, where you can learn more about risk factors, treatment options, tips for healthy living and the experiences of people like me who are not letting kidney disease get us down.

Sincerely,
[Name/Hometown]