Ivan Rivera is a 22-year-old living in Orlando, Fla., who had been an active and athletic person all of his life. But when he started losing energy and tiring easily, his doctor told him his kidneys were failing due to a rare immune disorder called IgA nephropathy. Ivan was devastated by the news.

When you first hear Vera Foreman’s voice, you can’t help but notice a sense of excitement and energy. She’s an on-the-go kind of lady. With two teenage children, a part time job and her volunteer work, it may surprise many that she has end-stage renal disease (ESRD). Vera has always sped through life by embracing the positive.

Through countless interactions with individuals on dialysis, a prominent theme resides, the fear of traveling. There may be mobility issues hindering travel and/or fear of treatment at an unknown facility or simply not enough information available regarding the potential possibilities.

Your vascular access (fistula, graft and/or catheter) is your lifeline to dialysis. It should be treated as any other prized possession… with great care! However, even the best care doesn’t guaranty perfect performance of your access – it improves your chances.

Chez Ray Sewell does not let a thing like dialysis slow him down. This Renaissance man has his fingers pressed firmly on the pulse of life and dedicates his time to communities far and wide. Since being diagnosed with end-stage renal disease (ESRD)

A diagnosis of kidney failure may be a time filled with overwhelming angst. It is important to know that you have choices and to take the opportunity to explore your options. Many patients automatically assume that a kidney transplant is the best option, but this is not necessarily true for everyone.

There is an increased focus on vascular access in our health care delivery system. Several major government initiatives underway are focused on improving vascular access outcomes. The Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS)

The prevalence of sleep disorders in the United States is exceedingly high. Sleep disorders cause a high number of health problems, are associated with high healthcare costs and are frequently linked with cuts in quality of life that negatively impact social and work relationships. In particular, chronic kidney disease (CKD)

Self-care, self-modalities, self-cannulation…what do these mean to you? Are you familiar with the phrases above? Many of you are already practicing at least one of the three, but use a different term.

What is Fabry disease? Fabry disease is a rare inherited disorder first described by Drs. Johann Fabry and William Anderson in 1898. It is one of a large family of diseases known aslipid storage disorders. The enzyme that causes the disease was identified in the 1960s and since then much progress has been made in its treatment.