Kidney Health Alliance of Kentucky Inc

Those are words none of us want to hear.  Yet, 1 in 9 Americans have been diagnosed with kidney disease and another 1 in 9 is at risk for the disease.  Kentucky ranks in the top 10 among states with the highest incidence of kidney disease.

For most of our lives our kidney function is taken for granted.  It wakes us up in the middle of the night, or causes us to make several stops along the way on a road trip.  But, day to day, it’s just something our body takes care of.  We don't worry much about it. That was the case for a young athlete who noticed some blood in his urine every once in a while and figured it was just from some tough tackles in football. As he got older, in a routine physical, the blood issues became a topic of discussion with his doctor.  With no tackles to explain the episodes, it was time to look a little farther.  Further tests revealed polycystic kidney disease - an inherited disease that would eventually compromise his kidneys to the point that he would need to go on dialysis or get a transplant.  He was in his early 30s and the doctor said he would probably need a transplant by the time he was 40.  Like clockwork, at the age of 40 he was in kidney failure and on dialysis.  After four years of waiting, a friend convinced him to receive one of his kidneys.  Now a healthy and productive member of the KHAKY board, he is committed to helping others in the fight against kidney disease.

As a nurse, your focus is on others.  But one nurse decided to take advantage of a slow day of doing kidney screenings and screen herself to pass the time.  The results were a serious wake up call.  While volunteering to help KHAKY with free kidney health screenings, it had never occurred to her that her own kidneys may be in trouble.  But after a follow up visit with her physician and a referral to a nephrologist, this nurse found out she had chronic kidney disease – a silently progressing disease that can result in the loss of as much as 90% of kidney function before any symptoms of the disease are noticed.  That screening was a wakeup call that saved her kidneys.  With early detection and intervention the disease can be slowed and in many cases stopped. 

There are too many stories just like the ones above.  There are kidneys that could be saved with early detection and intervention.  There are lives that could be saved.  There are healthcare dollars to be saved – each person that progresses to kidney failure and requires dialysis can cost Medicare up to $100,000 a year and all dialysis patients are eligible for Medicare regardless of age.

The Kidney Health Alliance of Kentucky (KHAKY) serves kidney disease patients and their families, increases awareness and early detection of chronic kidney disease, provides a network for collaboration among renal healthcare providers, and promotes organ donation. KHAKY is a local, independent non-profit. Every dollar donated stays here in Kentucky.