Kidney community newsletter | Spring 2018

SPRING 2018

The Kidney Foundation of Canada – Quebec Branch

newsletter

FOUNDATION REPORT

End-stage renal failure is a financial burden for many patients page 2

THE 2018 KIDNEY WALK

Participants and volunteers invite you to walk the Walk pages 6 to 8

RESEARCH

Detecting kidney damage in women with hypertensive disorders of pregnancy NANCY HOULEY, transplanted, invites you to the 2018 Kidney Walk page 9

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COORDINATION AND WRITING Antoine Ardiley GRAPHICS AND PUBLISHING Ardecom PRODUCTION Ardecom CONTACT US: The Kidney Foundation of Canada – Quebec Branch 2300 René-Lévesque Blvd West, Montreal, QC H3H 2R5 TELEPHONE 514-938-4515 or 1-800-565-4515 FAX 514-938-4757 E-MAIL infoquebec@kidney.ca Circulation : 10,000 copies The newsletter is published three times a year by the Quebec Branch of The Kidney Foundation of Canada. Distributed in English and French to all people suffering from kidney failure, these publications provide valuable information on the Foundation’s services and activities, including the latest news about kidney disease and organ donation.

The opinions expressed in this newsletter are not necessarily those of the Quebec Branch of The Kidney Foundation of Canada, its directors, employees or members.

Moving? Write us at: infoquebec@kidney.ca.

Articles may be reproduced provided that proper credit is given.

WORD FROM THE PRESIDENT AND THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

THE FINANCIAL BURDEN OF END-STAGE RENAL FAILURE A report published by The Kidney Foundation of Canada has revealed that a high proportion of Canadians on dialysis encounter financial difficulties due to the additional costs they incur as a result of their kidney failure. This increase in their expenses is due mainly to the cost of travelling to and from their treatment sessions, and to their medications.

Dialysis is a renal replacement therapy. For patients who need it to survive, it leads to loss of health, employment, social connections and especially income, thereby causing their quality of life to degrade significantly.

In addition to the physiological and psychological stress the illness causes, financial expenditures also put significant pressure on patients.

In collaboration with Dr. Scott Klarenbach, a professor at the University of Alberta’s Faculty of Medicine, a survey was conducted in 2016 on the financial burden placed on patients with end-stage renal failure(1) in order to gather information that could be used as conclusive data about the financial burden associated with dialysis and on the impact on patients and the care they receive.

The project was developed in response to discussions with social workers and the growing number of requests for The Kidney Foundation of Canada’s short-term financial assistance program.

The Foundation published its report on the financial burden placed on Canadians with end-stage renal failure and clearly highlights the major financial difficulties that arise from dialysis (for the full report, go to kidney.ca/burden).

The Foundation wishes to give voice to everyone affected by end-stage renal failure—not just patients, but also their loved ones—and calls on the governments to act on its recommendations in order to lessen the financial burden they face.

This is why we ask that the government: SUBSIDIZE transportation costs and expand

 access to travel grants, particularly for people in rural areas.

MINIMIZE disparities in accessing

 medications for people with kidney disease and develop mechanisms to offset costs equitably across jurisdictions.

CONSIDER the financial and health literacy of

 patients when operationalizing “home first” policies that aim to maximize the proportion of patients on home dialysis therapies.

Patients suffering from end-stage renal failure are already vulnerable because of their illness—they should not also have to deal with the stress of a precarious financial situation.

The additional costs linked to dialysis treatments put a heavy burden on Canadians with end-stage kidney failure.

The average annual expenditures declared by respondents with respect to dialysis treatments ranged from $1,400 to $2,500. These amounts are significant if you consider that 55% of respondents had an average household income of under $35,000, and 23% of respondents had earnings of less than $20,000. These expenses therefore accounted for a considerable percentage of their total household income.

As a non-profit organization, we are striving to lessen that burden. In 2017, The Kidney Foundation of Canada distributed over $350,000 through its short-term financial assistance program. However, this assistance is only a temporary solution to a much longer-term problem. It is, in fact, a systemic problem that the powers-that-be must tackle on every level. Changes are needed to help improve quality of life for people suffering from kidney failure.

The survey was conducted online and via questionnaires drafted in English, French and Chinese and distributed by members of the Canadian Association of Nephrology Social Workers (CANSW) in over 20 centres.

(1)

Sylvie Charbonneau President The Kidney Foundation of Canada Quebec Branch

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Martin Munger Executive Director The Kidney Foundation of Canada Quebec Branch

The Kidney Community Newsletter SPRING 2018

PREVENTION

THE SYMPOSIUM ON CHRONIC KIDNEY FAILURE PREVENTION WAS A HUGE SUCCESS

Held in Terrebonne on November 24, 2017, the Symposium on Chronic Kidney Failure Prevention was attended by 105 health professionals from outside the nephrology field. The event brought together general practitioners, nurses, dietitians and pharmacists from the Montérégie region’s local community health centres (CLSCs), nursing homes (CHSLDs), family clinics and medical centres.

The goal of the symposium was to inform professionals about chronic kidney failure.

THE OBJECTIVES WERE TO RAISE AWARENESS OF:

A BIG THANKS TO OUR GUEST SPEAKERS:

• The chronic kidney failure situation in Quebec today;

• Dr. Pierre Cartier, Nephrologist, CISSS des Laurentides;

• The importance of chronic kidney failure prevention;

• Josée Bergeron, Nurse clinician, CISSS de Lanaudière;

• Kidney failure’s impact on patients, society and the economy;

• Geneviève Côté, Nutritionist, CISSS de Lanaudière;

• The risk factors underlying the onset of chronic kidney failure;

• Roxanne Forget, Pharmacist, CISSS de Lanaudière;

• The medical means available to prevent the onset of chronic kidney failure (prevention);

• Dr. Isabelle Létourneau, Nephrologist, CISSS de Lanaudière;

• The importance of recognizing and treating the medical complications of chronic kidney failure;

• Dr. Louise Roy, Nephrologist, CISSS de la Montérégie Ouest, CHUM, St-Luc; • Benoît Trottier, Nurse clinician, CISSS de Lanaudière Centre.

• The appropriate time to refer a patient for renal replacement (dialysis or transplant).

We would also like to thank our partners:

Otsuka, Sanofi and Amgen

2018 SYMPOSIUM ON CHRONIC KIDNEY FAILURE PREVENTION The next symposium on Chronic Kidney Failure Prevention for health professionals from outside the nephrology field will take place on November 9, 2018, in Alma in the Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean region.

For more information, contact: PHILIPPE VINCENT at 1-800-565-4515, ext. 222, or philippe.vincent@kidney.ca.

The Kidney Community Newsletter SPRING 2018

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ORGAN DONATION

DR. ISABELLE HOUDE GIVES A CONFERENCE IN RIMOUSKI ON LIVING DONATION Dr. Isabelle Houde, a nephrologist at Quebec City’s Hôtel-Dieu Hospital, gave a talk at the Hôpital régional de Rimouski on February 15. The theme was “Kidney transplants with living donors,” with a special focus on demystifying organ donation.

Does donating a kidney affect the donor’s quality of life? What should one expect after the operation? The health risks of organ donation: myth or reality? How to ask a loved one for such a “gift of life”?

These are the important themes surrounding organ donation that Dr. Houde tackled during the talk.

A big thank-you goes out to Dr. Isabelle Houde for giving the talk.

DR. ISABELLE HOUDE, A NEPHROLOGIST AT QUEBEC CITY’S HÔTEL-DIEU HOSPITAL

ARE YOU FAMILIAR WITH THE FOUNDATION’S NEW DONOR RECOGNITION PROGRAM, WHICH GIVES DONORS A MEDALLION HONOURING THEIR SELFLESS ACT? If you are a living donor, receive a medallion1 as a thank you for your life-giving gesture.

1

THE SIZE OF A 5 CENTS COIN

To find out more about it, contact Philippe Vincent, Coordinator, Patient programs and services, at 514-938-4515 or 1-800-565-4515, ext. 222, or at philippe.vincent@kidney.ca.

THE DONOR ORGAN WAITING LIST CONTINUES TO SHRINK The waiting list for a donated organ got shorter for the sixth consecutive year.

On December 31, 2017, 786 people were on the list, a 40% reduction over 2011.

About 70% of those on the list are awaiting a kidney.

Also, in 2017, 510 people had transplants thanks to the generosity of 182 organ donors and their families, the best performance in a decade.

On December 31, 2017, the average waiting time for a kidney transplant was 16 months, which is five months less than in 2016.

The Kidney Foundation of Canada would like to thank and congratulate the team from Transplant Québec, donors’ families, living organ donors, volunteers and health professionals for the hard work and cooperation that helped boost the number of organ donations while shortening the waiting list and cutting transplant waiting times.

For more details, visit the Transplant Québec website.

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The Kidney Community Newsletter SPRING 2018

UPCOMING ACTIVITIES

23rd QUEBEC CITY CHAPTER GOLF TOURNAMENT The 23rd edition of the Quebec City Chapter Golf Tournament will take place on June 18, 2018, at Club de golf des Pins in St-Alban de Portneuf.

The Honorary Chairs of this year’s event will be Fernand Dufresne, President of Preverco Inc., and Jonathan Sénécal, Groupe Perron.

Tickets are $200 for individuals and $750 for foursomes, which includes a shared golf cart, greens fees and dinner. Dinner on its own is priced at $100.

$48,000 WAS RAISED AT THE 2017 EDITION OF THE GOLF TOURNAMENT

For more information contact Maryse Néron at: 418-683-1449 or maryse.neron@kidney.ca.

A 250KM WALK BETWEEN QUEBEC CITY AND LES ESCOUMINS TO SUPPORT THE FOUNDATION Jeanne Bouchard, a courageous and resilient mother, will undertake a 250km walk between Quebec City and Les Escoumins on Quebec’s North Shore starting July 3, 2018. The walk along highway 138, which is expected to take around 10 days, aims to raise funds for The Kidney Foundation of Canada.

Jeanne will turn 50 next summer and wants to celebrate her important milestone in a special way by linking it to a cause she cares deeply about. Her two wonderful daughters, Stéphanie and Kim, had suffered from kidney failure since they were children.

Her eldest daughter, Stéphanie, died in August 2009, and her youngest, Kim, has made countless visits to the hospital over the past 20 years.

For 13 years, Kim underwent dialysis treatments three to four times a week while awaiting a kidney. On November 6, 2017, she received the best gift she could ever hope for, a kidney transplant!

Since the operation, she has been doing well and is now enjoying a normal life.

The route the walk will take is a symbolic one for Jeanne: although she was born in Les Escoumins, Quebec City has been her home for many years. She knows every bend in the road, having travelled

it many times with her daughters over the past 30 years, often on their way to the hospital.

Kim will accompany her mother for the first stretch of the walk from Quebec City and will join her again for the last few kilometres of the walk, which will end at her daughter Stéphanie’s grave at the cemetery in Les Escoumins.

JEANNE BOUCHARD

The Kidney Foundation of Canada is proud to be associated with this project and congratulates Jeanne Bouchard for taking on such a touching challenge.

For more information contact Maryse Néron at: 418-683-1449 or maryse.neron@kidney.ca.

The Kidney Community Newsletter SPRING 2018

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2018 THE GENEST TEAM AT THE 2017 KIDNEY WALK IN ST-GEORGES

PLENTY OF OPPORTUNITIES TO WALK THE WALK IN MAY, JUNE AND SEPTEMBER CREATE A TEAM WITH YOUR FAMILY AND FRIENDS AND REGISTER FOR THE KIDNEY WALK SUPPORT PEOPLE LIVING WITH KIDNEY DISEASE

kidneywalk.ca

BUOYED BY THE RESOUNDING SUCCESS OF ITS 2017 EDITION, THE KIDNEY WALK IS BACK THIS YEAR MORE AMBITIOUS THAN EVER. Over the years, the Kidney Walk has become a must-attend event for kidney patients, transplant recipients, their family members and health professionals.

Thanks to all the participants, teams of walkers and volunteers who get involved and walk for the Foundation, the Kidney Walk is so much more than just a major fundraising event: it’s also a huge annual social gathering where Kidney Foundation supporters can come together and celebrate.

Become a part of this huge community by walking and joining forces to help people suffering from kidney disease while enabling the Foundation to fulfil its mission of funding patient services and research and promoting organ donation.

National Partner

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The Kidney Walk will take place in 22 cities across Quebec: • Sunday, May 20: Mascouche (Sud-Lanaudoise), Rimouski and Saint-Jérôme • Saturday, May 26: Laval and Rouyn-Noranda • Sunday, May 27: Boucherville, Dolbeau, Dollard-des-Ormeaux, Maniwaki, Quebec City, Saguenay, Saint-Georges, Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Sherbrooke, Trois-Rivières and Val-d’Or • Sunday, June 3: Gatineau, Granby and Saint-Hyacinthe • Sunday, June 10: Châteauguay and Montreal • Saturday, June 16: Tour de rein (80-km cycling tour in Laval) • Saturday, September 15: Gaspé

Provincial Partner

The Kidney Community Newsletter SPRING 2018

2018

TESTIMONIALS

SAINT-GEORGES WALK: LYNE POULIN, TRANSPLANTED THANKS TO A PAIRED DONATION It’s kind of a way of paying it forward. It’s a chain where several mutually incompatible donors and recipients are registered on a list, and the donated kidneys are given to other people, usually in a crossed way. In other words, my spouse gave his kidney to a stranger, and that or another stranger’s donor gave me his or her kidney. Serge went to Ottawa to donate his kidney, and I received mine in Quebec City. The operation was a success. Problems came up in the first year, but they were nothing serious.

People should talk more often about this way of donating, because the waiting time for an organ from a deceased donor can be several years. I got mine in less than a year thanks to living donation. It’s a hugely generous gift, and no words can describe what Serge did for me. It’s the greatest act of love anyone could ever hope to receive.

Thank you, Serge, for doing that for me.

LYNE AND SERGE POULIN AT THE CANADIAN ORGAN AND TISSUE DONORS ASSOCIATION (CODA) CEREMONY HONOURING ORGAN DONORS

This is my story. When I was born, the doctors discovered I had malformations in my ureters called refluxes. That’s when the bladder doesn’t empty and urine returns to the kidneys.

When I was 20, I was told I’d eventually need a kidney transplant. By following an appropriate diet, I managed to put off dialysis until my 23rd birthday. At that point, I had no choice—I had to have dialysis three times a week, which meant travelling from Saint-Georges de Beauce to Quebec City, a three-hour journey. I didn’t have a driver’s license, so I shared a taxi with five other people to get to the hospital in Quebec City.

At last, on February 13, 1986, the phone rang and I found out I had a kidney waiting for me! Everything went well for 20 years, but then I started to get recurring urinary tract infections. I didn’t know what to do and neither did the doctors. They tried removing the kidneys I was born with because they thought that they were causing the problem, but it didn’t work. I was put on intravenous antibiotics; the treatment worked as long as I was on them, but once the treatment was over, the problems returned. Dr. Isabelle Houde tried to help me and heard about an operation being performed in Europe, but it wasn’t recognized in Quebec. Still, she found a way for me to get the operation. I don’t know why exactly, but after that daylong operation, a miracle occurred and I never got a UTI again. That miracle has lasted four years… and counting!

Unfortunately, another problem arose. My transplanted kidney wasn’t working well anymore and I needed a second transplant.

My spouse, Serge Poulin, underwent tests to see if he could give me one of his kidneys. Everything went well at first and we were compatible, but the mix of our two blood types caused a reaction in mine and we stopped being compatible. He then decided to sign up for the pan-Canadian Living Donor Paired Exchange program, which matches living donors through an exchange of beneficiaries.

I would like to take this opportunity to invite you to the Saint-Georges de Beauce Kidney Walk on May 27.

Serge and I are very involved in organizing and running this Foundation event, which will be the Beauce’s fifth.

IT’S JUST ONE MORE WAY TO PAY IT FORWARD!

Join the Kidney Walk! It’s easy to form a team and raise money.

HOW TO RAISE $500 IN DONATIONS IN 10 DAYS! Day 1 Sponsor yourself for $25!

This first donation will encourage others to donate.

Day 2

Ask three family members to donate $25 each.

Day 3 Ask five friends to donate $20 each.

Day 4 Ask five coworkers to donate $10 each.

Day 5 Get five neighbours to pitch in $10 each.

Day 6 Ask your employer to donate $100 or to match the other donations received.

Day 7 Ask three of your favourite businesses (hairdresser, grocery store, restaurant, etc.) to contribute $10 each.

Day 8 Ask two people whose causes you supported in the past to repay the favour by donating $25.

Day 9 Ask two people you know (at the gym, daycare, sports centre) to donate $10.

Day 10 Send an email or make a Facebook post for all your loved ones and distant friends: you might even surpass your goal!

The Kidney Community Newsletter SPRING 2018

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2018

TESTIMONIALS

TESTIMONIALS FROM TRANSPLANT RECIPIENTS WHO ARE INVOLVED IN THE KIDNEY WALK

THE MONTREAL WALK: ROSELYN LECOURS What’s your story? What’s your connection to kidney disease?

ROSELYN LECOURS WEARING I’ve suffered from kidney disease since I was HER CHAMPION’S SWEATER, 25. Despite my attempts to slow it down CUTTING THE RIBBON AT THE 2017 MONTREAL KIDNEY WALK (medication, diet and physical activity), the illness outpaced me. Finally, I was lucky enough to receive a kidney transplant. Now, thanks to the kidney my husband gave me, I have a full life ahead of me. I will be forever grateful to him.

You’re an energetic, active and resilient woman. What would you like to say to people with kidney disease and those awaiting a transplant?

We don’t all have the same character. Personally, although I had a chronic illness, I was never willing to think of myself as sick. I lived with a specific condition without it becoming the sole focus of my life or preventing me from doing anything I wanted to. You can’t pretend it’s not there, but it shouldn’t define you either.

What would you say to families dealing with a loved one fighting kidney disease?

That’s a hard one to answer, because every person has different needs and expectations. Learning about the disease is a good thing, but it’s important not to get freaked out by all the horror stories out there on the web. Also, find out about living donation—it’s an extraordinary gift of life.

The Kidney Walk means a lot to you. Why is that?

Raising funds for the cause seems to me to be a way of helping those who suffer from kidney disease and, in a way, of helping myself. I feel very strongly about raising awareness about the cause, and the annual campaign is a great way to remind people that I’m alive today thanks to organ donation. It’s also a way to thank my husband Pierre for the priceless gift he gave me when he donated a kidney to me, and my family, who supported me all these years.

You’ve been the fundraising champion for the Montreal Kidney Walk for a number of years. What drives you to outdo yourself every year?

Honestly, I do it for the cause. You know what they say: God helps those who help themselves. Calling on everyone I know for the cause is my way to raise awareness and reassure people, while thanking my family, friends and medical personnel for the outstanding support I received. But I really owe the success of my fundraising efforts to my network—everyone is just so outstandingly generous. I would like to extend a heartfelt thanks to them one more time.

Roselyn invites you to join one of the 22 walks that will take place in May, June and September. | 8 |

The Kidney Community Newsletter SPRING 2018

ABITIBITÉMISCAMINGUE WALKS: BRIAN HARVEY AFTER THE TRANSPLANT, SUZANNE AND BRIAN NEAR THE LG4 HYDROELECTRIC VOLUNTEERING...

PLANT ON TRANS-TAIGA ROAD IN My first encounter with kidney disease SEPTEMBER 2017 was way back in 1970. I was 17 and my mother started on dialysis in Seattle, Washington. Fast forward to 1991 in Abitibi. My wife, Suzanne Brais, and I were working as researchers at UQAT and we had just had the first of our two daughters. I was in great shape and, out of nowhere, I got gout! That was when I was diagnosed with renal failure, which was followed by a long follow-up period, and excellent care, in the nephrology department at the Centre hospitalier Rouyn-Noranda (CHRN). Even though I stayed in shape, my kidney function declined gradually over the years. It became obvious that, sometime between 2012 and 2014, I would have to go on dialysis or have a kidney transplant. Suzanne thought about it, we discussed it, and she made the decision to donate one of her kidneys to me. If you ask her, the decision was as rational as it was emotional—it was better to live with one kidney, despite the risks, and a healthy spouse, than to live with two kidneys and a spouse who wasn’t healthy. Our big “kidney shuffle,” as I liked to call it, took place at Hôpital MaisonneuveRosemont (HMR) on October 15, 2012, and was a textbook example of a successful kidney transplant without complications. The periodic blood test routine at CHRN and the follow-up visits (again, excellent) at the Centre hospitalier de Val-d’Or with the team of nephrologists from HMR went well, and every day, I think of my good fortune and all those who were responsible for it.

Two years after the transplant, I joined The Kidney Foundation of Canada’s Abitibi-Témiscamingue Chapter and served as Honorary President of the first Walk ever held in Rouyn-Noranda, in 2014. In 2016, I served as a volunteer in charge of helping patients in the region. The job consists mainly of acting as a link between people with kidney disease who need the Foundation’s help and the Patient Assistance Department at the Quebec Branch. Demand is relatively low, partly because many patients don’t seem to be aware of the many kinds of assistance the Foundation provides. Nevertheless, with the help of the regional branch’s development agent, Nicole Jalbert, and in collaboration with the four dialysis centres (Val d’Or, Rouyn-Noranda, La Sarre and Ville-Marie), we are working to raise awareness among patients and healthcare staff.

The Kidney Walks, held in May in Abitibi, are not only an opportunity to raise funds and public awareness about kidney disease and the importance of organ donation, but also to remind patients suffering from renal failure that The Kidney Foundation of Canada is there for them in AbitibiTémiscamingue!

VOLUNTEER INVOLVEMENT

NANCY HOULEY, UPCOMING PRESIDENT OF THE FOUNDATION’S QUEBEC CITY CHAPTER

NANCY HOULEY AT THE 2017 QUEBEC CITY KIDNEY WALK DURING THE RIBBON-CUTTING CEREMONY WITH MARTIN POULIN

Having first gotten involved with the Foundation in 2013, Nancy Houley will become Quebec City Chapter President at the Foundation’s next annual meeting, in May 2018.

Diagnosed with polycystic kidney disease (PKD) when she was an adolescent, she received a kidney transplant in 2015 that changed her life.

The severe symptoms of this hereditary disease first appeared when Nancy was in her late forties, when her creatinine levels and blood pressure suddenly skyrocketed, irreparably damaging her kidneys.

Her mother, who had had a kidney transplant 26 years earlier, also suffers from this hereditary disease. Nancy is an energetic, active and resilient woman. She continued working full-time as cruise development director at the Port of Quebec City despite the peritoneal dialysis treatments she underwent every day for nine hours. During her three years of treatments, Nancy even chose to keep travelling to the United States for work, becoming a dialysis management specialist during her time spent outside the country. “I had to focus my energy on something bigger than me,” she said.

The P.R.E.V.O.I.R dialysis clinic helped her a lot and guided her along the way, especially with respect to nutrition, and gave her invaluable support when big decisions had to be made.

In March 2015, while she was still having dialysis treatments, she underwent a nephrectomy. The cysts on one of her kidneys had become so numerous that the medical team decided to remove it.

The good news came a little later, on June 2, 2015, when she received a donor kidney at Quebec City’s Hôtel-Dieu Hospital.

“The transplant was a gift of life. My life was saved by a donor who had signed his or her donor card, and I’ll be eternally grateful for that,” she said.

She left the hospital 10 days after the operation and gradually resumed physical activities like cycling, which she had given up when her condition had become too bad to continue.

GETTING INVOLVED TO CHANGE THINGS It was kind of by chance that she found out about the Foundation’s activities. After being contacted by the person in charge of the Quebec City Chapter, Nancy started by getting involved in organizing a benefit supper and later the Kidney Walk, because she felt compelled to speak and take action on behalf of everyone suffering from kidney disease. She had long wanted to get involved in this cause.

“If you want something to change, you have to get involved,” she points out.

To her, the Walk is an opportunity to raise awareness about organ donation, to educate people about kidney disease, and to raise the profile of the Foundation’s work. “If we can educate people and share our stories, we can make a difference,” she said. The hard work is already paying off, she points out, given that the kidney transplant waiting list has been shrinking for six years.

She would like her involvement to help support kidney disease research and people living with kidney disease, especially those suffering from PKD. She has grandchildren, and because she knows the disease is hereditary, she hopes things will be different for them.

The Foundation would like to thank Nancy for her involvement and her commitment to everyone suffering from kidney disease.

THE EN ROUGE POUR LE REIN SOCCER GAME RAISES $900 FOR THE FOUNDATION

Émile Cardinal-Soucy, who was born with only one functioning kidney, came up with the idea for this fundraiser benefiting the Foundation. For every dollar the event raised, Émile and his teammates committed to walking 10 metres at the Kidney Walk to

be held in Quebec City on Sunday, May 27, 2018. As a result, they will walk 9 km at this year’s Walk.

We would like to thank Émile for dedicating his charity game to the Foundation and congratulate him for organizing the event.

If you would like to organize a special event for the Kidney Foundation’s benefit, please contact Dany Babin at: 1 800 565-4515 ext. 232 dany.babin@kidney.ca

Photo credit: Stéphane Gaudreau

On Sunday, March 11, 2018, at Université Laval’s Telus stadium, the university’s Rouge et Or went head to head against Université de Montréal’s Carabins at the En Rouge Pour Le Rein soccer game benefiting the Foundation. A hundred or so spectators came out for this charity game that raised $900 for The Kidney Foundation of Canada, which hosted an information table on kidney disease at the game.

The Carabins took the match 3-1, blocking two attempts on goal by the Rouge et Or.

The Kidney Community Newsletter SPRING 2018

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TESTIMONIALS OF SUPPORT

KIDNEY CAR

A ROUYN-NORANDA RESIDENT DONATES HIS CAR TO THE FOUNDATION François Bergeron, a resident of Beaudry in Rouyn-Noranda, found out in 2000 during an employerimposed medical exam that he was suffering from a problem with his kidneys. He already knew something wasn’t right because he had almost completely stopped urinating. Following his blood test, the doctor called him back immediately and told him that both his kidneys had stopped working. He was 48 years old and found himself on dialysis the next day in Rouyn-Noranda.

FRANÇOIS BERGERON WITH HIS NEW CAR

It was a big blow for François, a very active man who loved skating and cycling, among other things. He was on dialysis for seven years until that fateful day in 2007 when he received a kidney.

He knew that his donor was a 68-year-old man who was active like him. Ever since that day, François has been living a normal life.

“I gave my old car to my kidney!”

François donated his car to the Foundation. It was a 1990 GM Lumina APV. He decided it was time to get rid of it and buy himself a new one.

The Kidney Car’s recycling partner picked up his car for free and the Foundation gave him a tax receipt for $300.

Don’t wait to part ways with your car. Simply complete the online form at kidneycar.ca and a call centre employee will get back to you within two business days.

In addition to free towing, you’ll get a minimum tax receipt for $300*. * In some cases and only after an evaluation, higher-value cars may be considered for resale. If that happens, they can be resold, at which point the vehicle’s previous owner will receive an income tax receipt for more than $300* (based on the assessed value at the time of donation).

PLANNED GIVING

ENSURING FOR LIFE TO CONTINUE As I’ve always said, making a will provide relief and make life easier for those you leave behind. For the past few years, I’ve also been telling anyone who was willing to listen that consenting to organ donation make a huge and wonderful difference in the lives of the many people in need of a transplant. And more recently, I learned the same thing about buying life insurance: it can make a vital change in the lives of people suffering from kidney failure.

How? By taking out a life insurance policy with the Foundation as the beneficiary, you will play a big part in relieving that suffering.

of the policy so that I can donate even more to support patients and research, more so than I could have with a standard donation.

I’ll be the first to admit it: I was never a fan of life insurance. But meeting Rémi Gilbert from Investors Group made me understand just how powerful this product can be. What changed my mind?

First of all, I’ve always been determined to uphold my commitment to the Foundation as long as I could. With a life insurance plan in the Foundation’s name, I will be able to continue supporting the Foundation even after I die, which is a sweet deal. What’s more, the insurance premiums I pay are tax deductible, because they amount to a charitable donation. And lastly, the premium package and insurance policy type enable me to accumulate more than the value

If you are interested in this approach, please take the time to find out more about the benefits and terms by speaking with Mr. Rémi Gilbert (450) 641-1515 ext.

233.

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The Kidney Community Newsletter SPRING 2018

I subscribed to this policy, and yes, I’m still very much alive and in great shape. But now I know that I’ll be able to keep helping the Foundation long into the future. Think about it. It’s for a good cause and it supports life!

SYLVIE CHARBONNEAU DONATED A KIDNEY TO HER SON IN 2012 SHE IS THE PRESIDENT OF THE KIDNEY FOUNDATION OF CANADA – QUEBEC BRANCH

RESEARCH

DETECTING KIDNEY DAMAGE IN WOMEN WITH HYPERTENSIVE DISORDERS OF PREGNANCY

By Anne-Marie Côté, MD, MHSc, FRCPC, a nephrologist and obstetrical medicine consultant at the CIUSSS de l’Estrie-CHUS and associate professor in the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences at Université de Sherbrooke.

DR. ANNE-MARIE CÔTÉ

Anne-Marie Côté received a $100,000 support grant for biomedical research in the hypertension category (2017–2019).

Pre-eclampsia is a very serious condition that threatens the lives of both mother and baby during a pregnancy. For mothers, high blood pressure is an important factor to monitor. This condition is called hypertension. Women who already suffered from hypertension before becoming pregnant, or during the first half of their pregnancy, have a higher risk of pre-eclampsia. Large quantities of proteins are also found in the urine of women with pre-eclampsia. This condition is called proteinuria.

Pre-eclampsia can damage the mother’s kidneys, making them more permeable to the proteins found in urine. This condition can also lead to further organ damage. Babies can also be affected by severe complications, such as premature birth and a very low birth weight. The precise measurement of proteinuria is so important that women with hypertension whose degree of pre-eclampsia has been evaluated need to be treated. Important decisions, such as hospitalization, prescribed medications and the time of delivery need to be taken into consideration when analyses detect proteinuria along with other signs and symptoms.

We know that the methods currently used to detect kidney damage during pregnancy need to be improved. One of these methods consists in measuring albumin, one of the many proteins found in urine. The presence of albumin is called albuminuria.

It has been shown that measuring this protein is preferable to testing for proteinuria in people with kidney disease or at risk in situations other than during pregnancy (this is the case, when, for instance, we look for kidney damage in diabetic patients).

We believe that measuring albuminuria is also preferable for pregnant women. Given that podocytes, the renal cells that characterize the kidneys, have been discovered in the urine

of women affected by pre-eclampsia, we will assess whether measuring podocyte-specific proteins in the blood might help detect kidney damage earlier when used in combination with tests for albuminuria. We will also evaluate the level of proteins in the blood that are linked to small blood vessel damage in women with pre-eclampsia.

Our goal is very simple: to improve the means of detecting kidney damage in women with hypertensive disorders of pregnancy by providing simple and appropriate laboratory methods. It is essential to detect pre-eclampsia early, as doing so will help protect mothers and babies from the resulting complications.

Our project will also ensure that Canada becomes the leader in this field.

Anne-Marie Côté, MD, MHSc, FRCPC, is a nephrologist and obstetrical medicine consultant at the CIUSSS de l’Estrie-CHUS and associate professor in the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences at Université de Sherbrooke.

As a clinical researcher at the CHUS Research Centre and a FRQS-SQHA Jacques-de-Champlain fellow, she focuses her research on renal damage and diagnosing hypertensive disorders of pregnancy. Her research program is supported by the CIHR and The Kidney Foundation of Canada, among others. She collaborated on the update of the SOGC’s 2008 and 2014 clinical practice guide for hypertensive disorders of pregnancy, has been a member of the Pregnancy and PIH Committee since 2016 and has sat on the boards of directors of hypertension organizations (Société québécoise d’hypertension artérielle, North American Society for the Study of Hypertension in Pregnancy) and an obstetrical medicine group (Groupe d’Étude en médecine obstétricale du Québec).

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The Kidney Community Newsletter SPRING 2018

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