Deb Pelaez

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

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.

October 27, 2023

Taiylor was just 18 months old when her daycare began having concerns about discolored (greenish) urine and bowel movements. After the daycare team notified her mom, Meaghan, and after many tests, including a kidney biopsy at the University of Maryland Medical Center, Taiylor was diagnosed with X linked Alport syndrome.

June 12, 2023

By Kevin Chan, MD, MSci, and Dawn Edwards INTRODUCTION FROM AAKP:What does dialysis fatigue mean and feel like to you? Would you even describe it as “ fatigue,” or something different?

Deb Pelaez

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

Kidney Transplant Gives Taiylor Kriss New Lease on Life After Lifelong Struggle with Disease

Let’s Talk About Your Dialysis Fatigue