National Kidney Foundation, Serving Northern Ohio

NATIONAL KIDNEY FOUNDATION

PO Box 40544, Bay Village 44140 | 440-241-6780 | kidney.org/northernohio

WHAT WE DO: National Kidney Foundation (NKF) is a lifeline for families facing kidney disease in our community and across the country. Your support funds the fight to make saving more lives a reality through:

Research: Many treatment options for kidney disease patients haven’t changed in 40 years. Your support helps us continue to fight for more substantial investments in clinical trials, along with other research, in order to quickly accelerate innovations in care and increase the understanding of this terrible disease.

Transplants: No one should wait longer to receive a lifesaving kidney transplant because of their income, where they live or their ancestry. With your support, we are committed to fighting for affordable and accessible health care for every single patient we serve.

Awareness: Awareness leads to more lives saved — and your generosity each month helps others learn about their risk, as they’re also diagnosed sooner. Fuel our fight to give all patients access to the care, treatment and guidance they need to cope with a kidney disease diagnosis.

Too many families will lose a loved one, never knowing that they could have stepped up to give the gift of life.

Demetrius Hammett was one of the lucky ones.

During a visit with a doctor over two decades ago, Demetrius shared that his urine seemed foamy. The doctor explained that he might be leaking protein, which could be a sign of a kidney problem and recommended that he see a specialist.

Demetrius took his advice, scheduling an appointment to see a nephrologist right away.

Following a biopsy by a nephrologist, Demetrius was diagnosed with Glomerulonephritis. At 35 years old, he was surprised. “It was hard for me to believe this was happening to me because I was in great health,” he said.

To slow the progression of his kidney disease, Demetrius was prescribed medication, but eventually had to go Advocacy: Each month, you’ll help empower more kidney patients to become confident advocates for better treatment, while also advancing policy priorities that will improve patients’ quality of life and provide them equal access to care and support at every stage of kidney disease.

EVENTS:

Kidney Patient Symposium, April 2023 Cleveland Kidney Walk, June 11, 2023 Golf Classic, July 2023

For more information, visit kidney.org/northernohio.

HOW TO HELP:

Donate: The Northern Ohio Chapter is looking for partners to assist in funding our lifesaving programs. Your investment will make it possible to bring more workshops and education to the communities of greatest needs.

Volunteer: The Northern Ohio Chapter is always looking for volunteers for our events and programs in our 32-county region. Some of these include, but aren’t limited to, Kidney Walks in Cleveland and Toledo, a golf tournament in Akron, a patient symposium in Independence and a social

on peritoneal dialysis.

Fortunately, Demetrius remained a healthy kidney patient and was placed With your support, patients on the kidney like Demetrius will be able transplant wait to spend another holiday list. But the season with the ones they reality soon love. kicked in that just because he was on the wait list didn’t mean that a deceased kidney was coming his way soon.

Only 4% of people with failed kidneys receive a transplant each year. Additionally, communities of color experience a disproportionately high burden of kidney failure, but they are also substantially less likely to receive living donor kidney transplants, compared with their white counterparts. Learning that transplants from a living donor have been shown to last longer

OVERVIEW

EMPLOYEES: 2 locally; 208 nationally 2021 REVENUE: $580,000 YEAR ESTABLISHED: 1964

SOURCES OF REVENUE:

Events: 50% Contributions: 25% Other: 25%

event in Cleveland, along with kidney education presentations and health fair volunteer and patient symposium committee opportunities. Contact Anna Tzinis, regarding any interest you may have, at anna.tzinis@kidney.org.

Shop: You may also shop to support kidney patients, via Amazon Smile. Too many patients will spend years on dialysis, waiting for a call that may never come.

and are associated with other positive, long-term health outcomes, Demetrius set out to find a living donor himself.

His brother, Dexter, got tested and proved to be a match to be his living donor. After a successful transplant, Demetrius has been living with his “new” kidney for 25 years. Each year, the pair host a Kidneyversary Party to celebrate the success and longevity of their transplant!

With your support, patients like Demetrius and Dexter will spend another Kidneyversary with their families!

Your gift today will fund education and access to transplant opportunities in communities who need it the most. Visit kidney.org/

seasonofgivingoh

for more information.