Keeping your body and bones strong are important when you have kidney disease. Do you know what types of exercise are good for kidney patients? What about for transplant recipients or people on dialysis? In this episode, we sat down with experts to discuss the benefits and recommendations of managing an exercise routine.

On this episode, we spoke with: 

Brittany Glazar

 Brittany has been a Clinical Exercise Physiologist at the University of Delaware for 3 years working in their Exercise and Functional Training Lab. Each day she gets the chance to work with individuals with all stages of CKD including transplant, as well as apparently healthy individuals and those with Parkinson’s disease.

Wilson Du

Wilson is a kidney transplant recipient from Alameda, California.  Prior to receiving his transplant in 03/2022, he was on hemodialysis for 5.5 years.  During his time on dialysis, he managed to lose over 130lbs, completed various physical competitions (10K, half marathons, triathlons), and also rode his bike 500+ miles down the coast of California.  He has now dedicated his life to helping other patients live their best life through his gym in California.  He is known as the Renal Warrior.

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Undocumented people face increased barriers to accessing health coverage and care, including treatment for kidney disease. In this episode, our guest experts discuss what treatment options are currently available for undocumented people and what kind of advocacy efforts are being made to improve their access to health care. 

On this episode, we spoke with:

Lilia Cervantes, MD

Dr. Cervantes received her undergraduate degree at CU Boulder and completed both her medical degree and internal medicine residency at the University of Colorado School of Medicine.  Her background as a first generation Latina inspired her deep commitment to becoming a physician as well as her community service, advocacy, and research focused on promoting social justice in medical education and care.  Dr. Cervantes has worked for over 12 years as an internal medicine hospitalist at Denver Health, the safety-net hospital, and has dedicated her career to creating a healthcare workforce that is diverse as well as conducting research to improve person-centered and clinical outcomes among Latinx patients on dialysis.  The catalyst for her interest in improving outcomes for Latinx patients with chronic kidney disease was a former undocumented Latina patient with kidney failure who struggled with emergency dialysis (dialysis in the emergency department when critically ill) and ultimately died. Funded by the RWJF and the Doris Duke Foundation, Dr. Cervantes discovered the worse outcomes of undocumented immigrants who rely only on emergency dialysis. In 2019, as a result of Dr. Cervantes’ research and stakeholder engagement, Colorado Medicaid opted to include the diagnosis of kidney failure as a qualifying condition under Emergency Medicaid thereby expanding access to standard dialysis.  In addition to her work with the undocumented kidney failure community, Dr. Cervantes is developing culturally tailored interventions that will address the social challenges faced by racial/ethnic minorities with chronic kidney disease.

Luz Baqueiro

Luz was diagnosed with end stage renal disease in 2018 and has recently received a kidney transplant. Luz started dialysis in the ER for almost a year this being the she did not qualify for any government assistance like Medicaid or the marketplace because she is not a born US citizen. She joined the NKF Advocacy Team after experiencing firsthand what is like not to be able to receive the care you need simple because you are not a citizen she felt she need it to raise awareness on this issues, to share her story and the story of many others who are not getting the proper care they so desperately need.

Additional resources:

Exercise: What You Should Know

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Las personas indocumentadas enfrentan bastantes barreras para acceder cobertura y atención médica, incluyendo el tratamiento para la enfermedad renal. En este episodio, nuestras expertas invitadas discuten qué opciones de tratamiento están disponibles actualmente para las personas indocumentadas y qué tipo de esfuerzos se están haciendo para mejorar el acceso a la atención médica.

En este episodio, conversamos con:

Lilia Cervantes, MD

La Dra. Cervantes obtuvo su título universitario en la Universidad de Colorado en Boulder. Al finalizar, ingresó a la Escuela de Medicina de la Universidad de Colorado para completar su grado doctoral y posteriormente realiza su residencia en medicina interna. Ser latina de primera generación fue la inspiración de su gran compromiso de convertirse en médico, al igual que su servicio a la comunidad, su activismo e investigación, centrada en la promoción de la justicia social en la educación y atención médica. La Dra. Cervantes ha ejercido por más de 12 años como médico internista en Denver Health, hospital de red segura, y ha dedicado su carrera en crear un equipo diverso de profesionales de la salud. De igual manera, ha dirigido investigaciones para mejorar el desempeño clínico y fomentar una atención centrada en la persona entre los pacientes latinxs en diálisis. El motivo de su interés por mejorar los resultados de los pacientes latinxs con enfermedad renal crónica fue a raíz de una paciente latina indocumentada con insuficiencia renal, quien luchó contra la diálisis de urgencia (diálisis en la sala de emergencias cuando se encuentra en estado crítico) hasta que falleció. Financiado por la RWJF y la Fundación Doris Duke, la Dra. Cervantes descubrió los peores desenlaces de los inmigrantes indocumentados que dependen únicamente de la diálisis en urgencias.  Como resultado de su investigación y la participación de las partes interesadas, en el 2019, Colorado Medicaid optó por incluir el diagnóstico de insuficiencia renal como una de las condiciones que cualifican para Medicaid de Emergencia, ampliando así el acceso a la diálisis estándar. Además de su trabajo con la comunidad de personas indocumentadas con insuficiencia renal, la Dra. Cervantes está desarrollando intervenciones culturalmente adaptadas que abordarán los retos sociales a los que se enfrentan las minorías raciales y étnicas con enfermedad renal crónica.

Luz Baqueiro

Luz fue diagnosticada con una enfermedad renal en etapa terminal para el año 2018 y recientemente ha recibido un trasplante de riñón. Al no ser ciudadana americana de nacimiento, Luz, no contaba con los requisitos necesarios para recibir asistencia del gobierno, como el Medicaid; por lo que tuvo que comenzar diálisis en salas de emergencias por casi un año. Luego de conocer personalmente lo que significa no poder recibir los cuidados necesarios por el simple hecho de no ser ciudadano, decide unirse al grupo de activistas de la NKF y así poder crear conciencia sobre estos temas, compartir su historia y la de muchas otras personas que no reciben los cuidados adecuados que tan desesperadamente necesitan.

Recursos adicionales:

Open Letter to State Medicaid Directors

Sé parte del Grupo de Activistas/Defensores

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As a kidney patient or a transplant recipient, you probably know that getting a flu shot can offer the best protection from a serious disease. But should you get it every year? Or is it safe to get the flu and the COVID vaccine or booster at the same time? Get answers to these questions and more on today’s podcast with Dr. Harold Manley, Senior Pharmacy Director at Dialysis Clinic Inc. in Nashville, TN, and Rachel Bratcher, a patient living with IgA nephropathy. 

After a kidney transplant, your diet still plays a big role. Do you know which foods to avoid or how your transplant medications affect what you can eat? On today’s episode, we’ll discuss how you can keep your new kidney healthy while also maintaining a healthy weight.

One of the jobs your kidneys is to manage your body’s levels of potassium, which keeps your heartbeat regular and your muscles working right. Many kidney patients need to watch what they eat to ensure that their potassium levels don’t become too high and cause dangerous health risks. On today’s episode, you’ll hear how to best manage your potassium levels to protect yourself.

In this episode, we spoke with:

Jessianna Saville, RD

Jessianna Saville RD, CSR LDN is a renal dietitian with over 12 years experience. After working 8 years in the dialysis setting, she decided to fully concentrate her energy on her virtual practice and helping provide early nutrition intervention for kidney disease clients. She is the founder and owner of KidneyNutritionInstitute.org, a collective of expert renal dietitians that serve all areas of kidney disease. She is also the founder of RenAlign, a non-profit that advocates for nutrition as a first line therapy for kidney disease through the RenaLIFE and Ren.Nu programs. She and her team develop training resources for other renal dietitians at RenalNutritionMastery.com, helping them stay up-to-date on all things renal nutrition and guiding them through setting up their own private practice. Her passion for good food shows up in the kidney-friendly recipes her team creates on the blog and the amount of time she spends cooking herself. Along for the ride with Jessianna are her three children and husband, a very old dog, 2 kittens, and 4 friendly backyard chickens.

Dawn Edwards

Self-described 25+ Year chronic kidney disease Warrior, Dawn P. Edwards, a nocturnal home hemodialysis patient, has experienced first-hand, every renal replacement modality including a kidney transplant, rejection and return to dialysis. Dawn is dedicated to improving the quality of life of people with kidney disease, and is also a resource to her community, sharing her story and educating patients, professionals and the public about the importance of maintaining a healthy lifestyle and the relationship between hypertension, diabetes and kidney disease, especially among people of color and low socioeconomic status. Dawn has served the community for over 25 years through the IPRO ESRD Network of New York in multiple roles including employment as their Community Outreach Coordinator. She is an NKF Kidney Advocate and Peer Mentor and also currently serves on many kidney disease related boards.

Additional resources:

Potassium and Your CKD Diet

Kidney-friendly recipes

Episode transcript

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While many people feel like the world is headed back to normal, many kidney patients can feel left behind. COVID-19 is still top of mind for those who are immunocompromised and we're here to offer resources and support. On today's episode, our guests will answer your questions about how COVID-19 affects transplant, dialysis, and early stage CKD patients.

In this episode, we spoke with:

Dan Weiner, MD

Dan Weiner is a nephrologist at Tufts Medical Center and Associate Professor of Medicine at Tufts University School of Medicine. His clinical interests include home and in-center dialysis, hypertension and CKD. His research has focused on cardiovascular and cerebrovascular disease in CKD; clinical trials in CKD, dialysis and hypertension; decision-making in advanced CKD; and policy. He works closely with the American Society of Nephrology on kidney disease policy. He is DCI's Medical Director of Clinical Research, and he is the Editor-in-Chief of the NKF's journal, Kidney Medicine, and the NKF's Primer on Kidney Diseases, the 8th edition of which will be published in early 2022.

Patrick Gee

Patrick Gee is a Community Activist, fighting against systemic issues such as poverty, social and racial injustices, criminal justice reform, and education reform. Patrick worked for the Virginia Department of Corrections and the Virginia Department of Juvenile Justice, where during his time in service, he acquired several awards and recognitions. In April 2013, Patrick was diagnosed with Stage 3b End-Stage Kidney Disease (ESKD). He began doing Peritoneal Dialysis (PD) in December 2013. On April 21, 2017, Patrick received a kidney transplant. Patrick has been very passionate in his pursuit to speak on behalf of the underserved, undervalued, and disenfranchised communities of color. Because of this, he serves as an advocate and kidney patient expert for a number of organizations including the NKF, CMS, FDA, KHI, AKF, AAKP and HDU.  

Additional resources:

COVID-19 resources

What you need to know about COVID-19 in 2022

COVID-19 vaccine and treatments for people with kidney disease

Regional resources for COVID-19

Kidney disease and COVID-19

Episode transcript

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When we hear the word research, most of us think of innovative breakthrough treatments and technologies. But applied clinical research could not be possible without another type of research called basic science research in which scientists study the fundamental processes of the human body. In this episode, we’ll learn what basic science research is and how it applies to the area of kidneys and kidney disease.

In this episode, we spoke with:

Hannah Wesselman

Hannah Wesselman is a PhD candidate at the University of Notre Dame studying the genetic mechanisms underlying kidney development in Dr. Rebecca Wingert's lab. Prior to her dissertation work, Hannah worked with Dr. Larissa Myaskovsky at the University of Pittsburgh Center for Research on Health Care, and their collaboration continued as Dr. Myaskovsky moved to the University of New Mexico Center for Healthcare Equity in Kidney Disease. During this time, Hannah worked directly with kidney transplant patients, and later published in CJASN on social determinants and race disparities in kidney transplant. Inspired by the strength of the kidney community, Hannah has returned to bench science in the hopes of identifying new treatment targets and has continued to connect with kidney patients through NKF advocacy.

Holly Kramer, M.D., MPH

Holly Kramer, M.D., MPH, is a practicing nephrologist who conducts research connecting nutrition and kidney health. Her connection to the National Kidney Foundation was inspired by her mom, who was a dialysis nurse and helped create some of the first dialysis units in Northwest Indiana. Dr. Kramer finds being on the NKF Board important, because it is the largest, patient-centered organization focusing on kidney disease. Her long-term goal is to increase national funding for kidney disease research and to heighten awareness about chronic kidney disease.

Joseph V. Bonventre, M.D., PhD

Dr. Bonventre is the Samuel A. Levine Distinguished Professor of Medicine and Constantine L. Hampers Distinguished Chair at Harvard Medical School and Professor of Health Sciences and Technology at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He is Chief of the Renal Division and Founding Chief of the Engineering in Medicine Division of the Brigham and Women's Hospital. In addition to his B.S. with distinction in Engineering Physics from Cornell, Dr. Bonventre holds M.D. and Ph.D. degrees in Biophysics from Harvard University.  He has honorary doctorate degrees from Mt. Saint Mary’s College and from the Norwegian Institute of Science and Technology in Norway. He was Director of the Harvard-MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology for 10 years. 

Additional resources:

Kidney Research

NKF Research Connect

NKF Patient Network

Become an Advocate

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Shared decision making can play a vital role in the treatment of kidney disease. When physicians involve patients in their care, they may be able to help slow progression and improve outcomes. In this episode, we discussed how patients and their physicians can achieve this and hear stories from patients who have been there.

In this episode, we spoke with:

Ansara Piebenga, parent of a child with kidney disease

Ansara Piebenga is the mother of two daughters. Her younger daughter was diagnosed at four months of age with a rare, genetic disease called primary hyperoxaluria. She received a year of daily (seven days a week!) hemodialysis and nightly peritoneal dialysis while being fed only through a gastric-tube.  Once she grew large enough (10 kilograms) she received a combined kidney and liver transplant at Stanford’s Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital at only 16 months of age.  Ansara's younger daughter is now a teenager who enjoys driving, playing lacrosse, and petting her three dogs.  Her daughter will celebrate 15 years with her transplanted organs this June and their entire family will thank her donor's family once again for their selfless and generous gift.  Ansara has mentored other families facing chronic kidney disease since 2007. She volunteers for Children's Mercy Hospital in Kansas City, the Medical University of South Carolina, the Improving Renal Outcomes Collaborative, Transplant Families, the National Kidney Foundation, the American Society of Pediatric Nephrology, and the American Academy of Pediatrics. 

Dr. Susan P. Wong, nephrologist

Susan Wong is an Assistant Professor at the University of Washington and a nephrologist and bioethics consultant at the Seattle VA. She leads a research program on treatment practices for advanced kidney disease with a focus on dialysis practices, conservative management without dialysis, and end-of-life and kidney palliative care. When she's not working, she enjoys spending her time gardening and with her 3 beautiful children.

Dr. Taylor House, nephrology fellow

Dr. Taylor House is a senior pediatric nephrology fellow at the University of Washington and Seattle Children’s Hospital, and she will be joining the faculty at the University of Wisconsin at Madison in the fall. She performs research focused on supporting the flourishing of children with kidney disease and their families through the integration of palliative care into routine nephrology care. She has a specific interest in improving communication between patients, caregivers, and clinicians surrounding kidney disease decision-making.

Elizabeth Fortune, kidney patient

Elizabeth Fortune was diagnosed with cancer in 2011. Two significant developments came from her fight with cancer. First, she and her husband started their own non-profit to support fellow cancer survivors and their caregiver. Second, she was left with End-Stage Renal Disease as a result of chemotherapy. She has been on dialysis since her diagnosis in April 2014.  She is a member of NKF's Kidney Advocacy Committee. She also enjoys knitting, reading, writing about her experience with cancer and kidney failure, and traveling with her husband. They also have the greatest cat, Mr. Meowington.