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 Leah Wright from Wilmington, Delaware.
Leah was first diagnosed with kidney disease in 2001, shortly after the birth of her second daughter. Originally, her doctors thought she had pregnancy-related high blood pressure, but it turned out to be the start of kidney failure. For years she continued to work full-time and raise her girls until she went into a hypertensive crisis in 2010.
Leah started peritoneal dialysis in 2011, which allowed her to keep working for a time, but eventually had to switch to hemodialysis. She had to switch to part-time work and eventually stop working altogether, which meant struggling to keep her private insurance. When Leah qualified for limited state assistance, she still had to pay for medications and equipment out of pocket.
Too many dialysis patients face the same hardship that Leah experienced, especially when they’re pushed off private insurance too soon. That’s why she is proud that her Representative, Sarah McBride, D-Del., is co-sponsoring the Restore Protections for Dialysis Patients Act, a bill that would guarantee that new dialysis patients can keep their private insurance for the full 30-month transition period. This gives patients the stability they need for early stages of diagnosis and allows them to focus on their health instead of worry about increased financial pressures.
You can read Leah’s full Letter to the Editor, written to her local paper, Bay to Bay News, and featured on DPC’s website here: https://www.dialysispatients.org/news/new-dialysis-patients-deserve-continued-coverage/.
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.
