MBA, Executive Committee Member
Ms. Schmidt is a kidney transplant recipient from Liberty, Illinois. She is on the Board of Directors for AAKP – American Association of Kidney Patients, an AAKP Ambassador and member of the policy and strategic communications committees and a member of the National Kidney Foundation.
As a National Kidney Patient Advocate, Lana has served in many capacities throughout the kidney community over the years. She has raised kidney awareness from the patients’ perspective by publishing several magazine and newspaper articles, doing TV and radio interviews and speaking at conferences and meetings on kidney disease issues. She also started the Kidney Patients Support Group in her area.
After 13 years on dialysis Lana received a kidney transplant from the University of Illinois in Chicago using a specialized drug, eculizumab because of her high antibodies. She was the first at this center to receive this drug with a deceased donor. She is now 4 years post-transplant.
She is passionate to raise kidney awareness throughout our nation and wants to bring positive change for kidney patients to improve the quality of care and services and help them to be more informed and knowledgeable about the disease so they can make the best decisions for their quality of life.
