Deb Pelaez

Out with the Old, In with PLADO!

December 17, 2025

By Annamarie Rodriguez, MS, RDN, LD, DipACLM, FAND We are nearing the New Year, and many people might be thinking, “out with the old, in with the new,” and when it comes to the kidney diet this has never been truer.

August 1, 2025

By Maya Doyle, MSW, PhDBack in 2005, I wrote an article for aakpRENALIFE called “Why Camp Counts”. At that point, I had been the pediatric nephrology social worker at the Children’s Hospital at Montefiore for a few years and had taken on the role of social work coordinator for our “kidney camp” program.

March 6, 2025

“Food choice was the largest struggle for me when I was at the height of kidney disease. It seemed like no matter how many good food choices I made; nothing was good enough and my labs continued to trend out of range. Potassium, phosphorous, and iron were the hardest for me to calculate and manage.

February 10, 2025

Q&A with Laura A. Williams, MD, MPH, Chief Medical Officer, ArdelyxArdelyx is a biopharmaceutical company headquartered outside Boston, in Waltham, MA. It was founded with a mission to discover, develop and commercialize innovative, first-in-class medicines that meet significant unmet medical needs.

February 10, 2025

FIGHTING FOR THE VOICE OF PATIENTS –AAKP AMBASSADOR NIESHA NEAL’S STORY OF HEALING AND HOPEBy Deborah Pelaez, aakpRENALIFE Independent WriterNiesha was just 13 years old when she was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes.

December 22, 2024

AAKP member and dialysis patient John De La Fuente called the AAKP office to express his appreciation for our Nutritional Counter and other educational resources. John told AAKP, “Your booklet on nutrition saved my life.

August 16, 2024

Born With ItYou could say Jack Lennon was born with it. “It” being kidney disease that developed at birth due to being born with Post-Urethral Valves (PUV). But he was also born with “it”, as in a loving family who would be on board throughout the good times and bad as he navigated kidney disease throughout his life.

January 6, 2024

Valerie Gonzalez began her career with AAKP over 18 years ago in May 2005 as an administrative assistant and now leads the entire administrative team as AAKP’s Director of Office Operations. If you have ever been to an in-person AAKP event or visited the AAKP booth at a kidney conference, you may have met Valerie over the years.

January 6, 2024

Susan Brown grew up in a military family. Her father, Harry Burdick, and his side of the family served in every war since the Revolutionary War. He received three Bronze Stars for his service in the 151st Infantry Division while stationed in the Philippines during World War II.

January 6, 2024

The Journey BeginsBobbie Reed first became a caregiver when her son Alex was diagnosed with kidney disease shortly after he graduated from Penn State in 2013. Alex was always a healthy and athletic child and played baseball in college.

Deb Pelaez

Out with the Old, In with PLADO!

Why Camp Counts (50 years and counting…)

AAKP Ambassador Brandi Nunez Shares Her Story for National Phosphorus Awareness Day

AAKP Innovator Series | Ardelyx

Patient Profile: Niesha Neal

Hear From AAKP Member, John De La Fuente on How AAKP’s Educational Resources Helped Him

Embracing Kidney Disease—AAKP Ambassador Jack Lennon shares his journey and offers tips for fellow patients and families

A Week at Camp Boggy Creek: AAKP Staff Member Valerie Gonzalez Shares Her Experience

A RESILIENT SPIRIT: THE INSPIRING STORY OF AAKP AMBASSADOR SUSAN BROWN

From the Heart of a Caregiver: Bobbie Reed Shares Her Journey