Quiana Bishop

My name is Quiana Bishop. I am 47 years old . I am a dialysis patient of almost 10 years. I am also a single mother of a 20 year old son, who I raised mostly while on dialysis. Kidney disease seems to run on my father’s side of the family because not only was my father a ESRD patient but more recently I found out my uncle has recently joined the dialysis world. Finding out I had to get on dialysis was not an easy fate because I was still raising my ten year old son . I was also in a career that I truly enjoyed which was teaching. At the time I was an infant teacher and I found it so rewarding helping babies into the next stage of life . I found Dialysis Patient Citizens by chance. I was feeling really down because I wasn’t able to do what I love. My mother suggested looking up kidney groups or organizations. I became a peer mentor with NKF first and then DPC popped up. I found them around the time for fly-in time and I took a chance and wrote an essay about myself and my journey with kidney disease and all was selected. It was my first in Washington DC since I was in 8th grade but this was different. I was there for a purpose. First of all it was amazing meeting so many people from across the country who were either going thru what I was going thru it have been where I was. Hearing their stories was so Inspiring. Then meeting my state legislatures was just as amazing. The showed they cared and saw me and my struggle. I left DC with a new found strength, a new purpose, and most of all a new family. I have done events with AKF but I continued to be an ambassador until my friends at DPC encouraged me to join the board. After awhile I was selected as secretary of the Board, then shortly after I was voted in as Vice President. A very short time after I found my self as President and it has been truly my honor to lead the board further into the future. DPC has given my life new purpose and I am dedicated to leading the way. I look forward to meeting new ambassadors, working with current ambassadors and continuing going strong with my fellow board members and striving to continue making Dialysis Patient Citizens the best kidney organization there is.