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Urge Your Members of Congress to Support S.1552/H.R. 4583 – The Living Donor Protection Act |
This week, The Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) will be marking up S. 1552 – The Living Donor Protection Act introduced by Senators Tom Cotton (R‑AR) and Kirsten Gillibrand (D‑NY). This bill, and its’ House companion bill H.R. 4583, provides essential protections for living kidney donors, including job security, protection from insurance discrimination, and the financial burdens associated with transplantation.
Dialysis is not easy, and patients deserve every opportunity to receive a life-saving transplant without added obstacles. Please contact your Members of Congress and encourage them to support this important legislation.
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| DPC Welcomes New Board Member – Kendra Deike |
DPC is pleased to introduce you to one of our newest Board members, Kendra Deike.
Kendra’s kidney journey began at birth, with a condition called congenital nephrosis. When she was three and a half, her Dad donated his kidney to her, which lasted nearly four years and saved Kendra’s life.
Although medical staff initially doubted she would become a functioning person, Kendra’s determination has helped her thrive for nearly 48 years. Learning has been engraved into her soul by her parents, and she went on to earn a Master’s of Business Administration in Organizational Development from Upper Iowa University. Kendra maintained a career with the United States Postal Service until recently, when the physical toll of dialysis required her to stop working.
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| DPC Welcomes New Board Member – Christopher Richards |
DPC is pleased to introduce you to one of our newest Board members, Christopher Richards.
Chris is a 54 year old dialysis patient from Atlanta, GA, who has been in center for the past eight years. He is also the father of an 11-year-old son, Christopher Jr., who was three years old when Chris started dialysis.
Kidney disease runs on Chris’ mother’s side of the family, where she was also a dialysis patient for a short three months before her passing in 1997. High blood pressure and diabetes runs on both sides of Chris’ family, which was what caused his kidneys to fail. October 30, 2017, was the day his life changed forever.
Chris was scared of his “New Normal” and felt that he needed a purpose in life again.
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Patient Ambassador Spotlight: |
Check out our Patient Ambassador Spotlight, where we highlight members who elevate the voices of people with kidney disease.
This month’s Spotlight is on LaRonda Jones from Houston, Texas.
Kidney disease runs in LaRonda’s family - her grandfather had kidney disease in the 1930s, when few treatments even existed, and her mother started dialysis in the 1980s and lived in constant fear of being dropped by her clinic due to coverage issues. LaRonda started dialysis in 2009 and stayed on it until 2023. In September 2023, she received a kidney transplant from the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston, but knew her journey wasn’t over.
Throughout her care, LaRonda saw firsthand how treatments had improved. But, she also saw so many patients still being left behind in their plan of care. New therapies, like those that treat pruritus, anemia, phosphorus imbalance and infections, can make life better and more stable for kidney patients. But too often, they’re out of reach.
That’s why LaRonda is urging her representative, Brian Babin (R-TX), along with other congressional members to pass the Kidney Care Access Protection Act (S. 2730/H.R. 9724). This bipartisan bill would help ensure that innovative treatments are available to more patients and help keep clinics open in communities that need them.
Patient Ambassadors represent DPC by serving as leaders in their community and local dialysis facilities. Learn more about this critical role and make a difference in the lives of dialysis patients by applying for DPC's Patient Ambassador program. |
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