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By Kent Bressler, AAKP Board of Director AAKP Policy Focus: Top Legislative Issues Impacting Your Life By Kent Bressler, AAKP Board of Director On July 10, President Trump signed an executive order (https://www. whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/ executive-order-advancing-americankidney-health/) that is seen as the first meaningful progress in elevating the national profile of kidney disease and shining a spotlight on the millions of Americans affected by this chronic condition.  The Executive Order has four goals: 1) Prevention and early detection of kidney disease, 2)

By Jim Myers, AAKP Board of Director and Ambassador In honor of school days, we are writing today about 5-year-old Henry Whitacre and his mom, Emily. Henry received a kidney transplant at Riley's Children's Hospital in Indianapolis, Indiana on July 18th, 2018. We wanted to check in and see how Henry is doing with his first school experiences. Hopefully, we can give first time back-to-school kidney parents some helpful ideas as the school year starts. Read the interview below. We asked: As a parent of a pediatric kidney kid, how are you preparing for the start of school?

By Tish Ganey, 500 RYT (registered yoga teacher) and teacher of Advanced Therapeutic Yoga “If you can breathe, you can do yoga!” That is the slogan of this year’s Global Yoga Therapy Day celebrated on August 14. It highlights the fact that yoga is something you can practice anywhere, anytime. You don’t need special equipment, or yoga outfits, or have the ability to sit cross-legged on the floor. If you can breath, you CAN do yoga! It is as simple as that. Therapeutic yoga is a complementary and alternative therapy that supports patients and caregivers in their everyday lives.

By Michelle McIlnay, MS, RDN, LD Summer is here; the birds are chirping, the flowers are blooming, and the temperature is rising. My family and I love living the “good life” in the Texas Hill Country. We stay busy in the summer with hiking, grilling out with friends and tubing down the river. As the thermometer climbs, we often find ourselves reaching for a cold drink to cool off our bodies, when in fact there are better ways to cool off. Staying cool while limiting your fluids is especially difficult when you are living with Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD).

By Tricia Haydon It is challenging enough having chronic kidney disease (CKD), however include the all-too common co-morbidities that coincide with kidney disease and there is a lot to manage! One of the common health problems that go along with kidney disease is heart disease. This can come in various forms, however sometimes the heart disease needs specific treatments either through different types of imaging or potentially more invasive procedures. It is important for people with kidney and heart disease to be mindful of how any treatment may affect their kidney function.

By: Doris Harrison, RN CKD/Transplant Specialist Approximately 14 years ago, I began my career in the medical field working within a kidney transplant clinic as a medical assistant. At first, I was not sure if this was where I would stay, I was hoping to work in the hospital with newborn babies, but God had another plan for me. I love working in the medical field and helping patients is very rewarding. At the kidney transplant center, I was able to see firsthand how organ donation changed their lives and how grateful and loving these patients are for another chance at life.

By Trevor Wymer, AAKP Communications Intern Renee Bova-Collis has worked in the field of kidney disease since 1993. As the Patient Services Director at Quality Insights Renal Network 5, Renee is a Social Worker who directly talks to patients offering resources and assistance. Renee was on the AAKP Board of Directors from 2006-2013. She took a leave from her leadership activities with AAKP for a few years in order to care for her mother. This year’s AAKP National Patient Meeting will be her first since 2013. Renee hopes to see old and new faces at the meeting this fall.

AstraZeneca is a global, science-led biopharmaceutical company that focuses on the discovery, development and commercialization of prescription medicines, primarily for the treatment of diseases in three therapy areas - Oncology; Cardiovascular, Renal & Metabolism; and Respiratory. AstraZeneca operates in over 100 countries and its innovative medicines are used by millions of patients worldwide. Cardiovascular, renal and metabolism together form one of AstraZeneca’s main therapy areas.

By Suzanne Ruff, Living Donor, AAKP Board of Directors, Author What is a preemptive kidney transplant? Let’s examine the word: preempt and its adjective: preemptive. The Oxford dictionary defines preempt as a noun, with the definition: 1. a. forestall b. acquire or appropriate in advance. 2. to prevent (an attack) by disabling the enemy. The adjective, preemptive, defines it perfectly: taking action against the enemy. In the case of a preemptive kidney transplant, the enemy is kidney disease.

By Trevor Wymer, AAKP Communications Intern Nancy Uhland, NP is a family nurse practitioner that specializes in Nephrology for George Washington Medical Faculty Associates. Part of Nancy’s job is to care for many kidney patients, from pre-dialysis to post-transplant. Prior to her current job, Nancy was a Living Donor Coordinator who worked with nephrologists to evaluate people who wanted to be living donors In 2018, she was awarded AAKP’s Medal of Excellence in the Nursing Category.