February 27, 2025 • 30 mins
Community DC Host Dennis Glasgow visits with the Executive Director for the National Kidney Foundation Michele Anthony to talk about the latest happenings and an upcoming Gala, plus Stacy Warr joins us to talk about her own personal journy and relationship with the NKF of Washington DC.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:05):
Good morning, and welcome to another edition of Community DC.
I'm your host Dennis Glasgow. This morning, we get a
chance to once again talk about kidneys with our friend
from the National Kidney Foundation, Michelle Anthony. Plus we also
get to hear from someone that Michelle knows very well,
that includes our many public speaking events, to share her
very personal story, and that's Stacy war here's my conversation
(00:25):
with both. I hope you enjoyed it as much as
I did. Good morning, Michelle.
Speaker 2 (00:29):
Good morning, Dennis. How are you.
Speaker 1 (00:30):
I'm great, And it's been a while since we had
a chance to talk, and now with a National Kidney Foundation.
As I said in the Open seventy fifth anniversary March's
National Kidney Month, you got a kidney ball coming up,
so there's so much to talk about. And a special guest, Stacy,
that we're going to talk in the middle of our program,
who's going through her own personal jury that you set
up for us, and I really appreciate you doing that,
(00:50):
so can't wait to talk to her. Let's do this
for our new listeners that might not know a lot
about the National Kidney Foundation. I know you've got a
wider net now too that you're working with, including Virginia,
talk about exactly what the foundation does.
Speaker 3 (01:02):
Chronic kidney disease affects one in seven adults, that's fifteen
percent of the adult population, and ninety percent of the
people who have it don't even know that they have it.
So really it is our job to make sure that
people know about the warning signs of kidney disease, the
(01:23):
leading causes being diabetes and hypertension.
Speaker 2 (01:27):
Who's at risk for kidney disease.
Speaker 3 (01:30):
And you know, if they should get tested, and you know,
just letting patients know that there is a lifeline for them,
dialysis patients, giving them options, modalities, letting them know what's
available in terms of treatment, transplant options that are available
to kidney patients. We do a lot of professional education
(01:53):
for healthcare professionals as well, so you know, we serve
the community, kidney patients, professionals really just try to overcome
this epidemic that is really strong in the National Capital Area. Unfortunately,
DC has among the highest incidents of kidney disease in
(02:13):
the country.
Speaker 1 (02:14):
Well, if we could talk about that, I don't know
if you have national numbers, but if you'd like to
kind of CENTERU on the DMV we can do that too.
And I don't know the latest and we won't hold
you in anything very specific, but what kind of numbers
are we looking at with people that either have some
kind of kidney situation and then also being on the
transplant list, because I know those numbers get pretty high.
Speaker 2 (02:33):
Yeah, absolutely so.
Speaker 3 (02:35):
An estimated thirty seven million Americans across the country have
chronic kidney disease. Like I said, that's about fifteen percent
of adults. And then in the National Capital Area, we
have the dubious distinction of having the highest rate of
kidney disease in the nation. In the tri state area
of DC, Maryland and Virginia, there are over two million
(02:58):
people with chronic kidney disease. And you know, bearing out
the statistics of ten percent, only two hundred and thirty
thousand are aware that they have it, which means two
million people are walking around with undiagnosed kidney disease and
might be headed toward cardiovascular events or kidney failure. Unfortunately,
(03:20):
a lot of kidney patients never even progress to kidney failure.
Speaker 2 (03:23):
That they may die from a.
Speaker 3 (03:25):
Heart attack, stroke, or other cardiovascular event. And then in
terms of the transplant waiting list. There are about one
hundred and twenty thousand people waiting for an organ transplant,
and of those, about one hundred thousand are waiting for
a new kidney. So an average of twenty people die
(03:47):
a day waiting for a new organ and it's really
tragic because you know, one organ donor can save eight
lives deceased organ donors can donate two kidneys to lungs,
their heart, liver, pancreas, and intestine. So while ninety five
percent of Americans say they're in favor of being a donor,
(04:09):
only fifty eight percent registered. So it's important that if
you support organ donation that you register to be an
organ donor, which you can do through your driver's license
at the DMV or you can go to donatelife dot
net and register to be an organ donor. We also
have a lot of programs for potential living donors, so
(04:32):
you know, if you're a healthy person, you can donate
a kidney or partial liver while you're living. So you
can go to our website and learn more about becoming
a living donor, which is a you know, the best
possible outcome for a kidney patient or a lung trench
a lung patient, so that that's possible too. We have
(04:52):
a lot of curriculum and workshops that are available to
learn more about how to become a living donor, how to.
Speaker 2 (05:01):
Find a living donor.
Speaker 3 (05:03):
And really it's, like I said, it's the best outcome
possible for patients.
Speaker 1 (05:07):
Well, really staggering numbers there. I did want to talk
about technology because I know that you've seen a lot
of different things that have come through when it's medications,
at home dialysis. I mean, there's all sorts of different
things where technology is really caught up and made people
a little bit more comfortable. As we look at people
that have any kind of ailments right now between medications,
as you work with doctors and researchers and any kind
(05:29):
of technology, what do you see today that you know
is getting you excited least that we're tackling this the
best we can and people are getting a decent quality
of life.
Speaker 3 (05:37):
I think that home dialysis is the thing that I
would really well, it's really important to us as one
of our overall goals just ensuring that patients live.
Speaker 2 (05:49):
The life that they want.
Speaker 3 (05:51):
So we want them to have the option of home dialysis,
and you know, you imagine dialysis to be this big,
huge machine and people sitting you know, attached to it
in a center. And then now you know, the machines
have gotten much smaller, and home dialysis, home hemo dialysis
is now available so that you can treat yourself at
(06:12):
home if you have you know, a good care partner
who is trained along with you. And think about the
amount of time that you would spend traveling back and
forth to the dialysis center, you know, getting on and
off the machine. People go three times a week, they're
on the machine for four hours. They're frequently you know,
(06:34):
exhausted and really taxed afterwards. So having that option to
do it at home. There's also another modality called peritoneal dialysis,
where your peritoneum in your stomach serves as the filter
for you know, cleaning out your blood, So that's another option.
Speaker 2 (06:52):
So I think that really just being.
Speaker 3 (06:53):
Able to do those treatments at home are some of
the most amazing advances that I've seen over the past
few years, and we're just really hoping for all patients
to be able to have that available to them if
they're interested in it.
Speaker 1 (07:06):
Michelle, if we could put a pin in our conversation,
and when I rejoin you, we're going to talk about
March being National Kidney Month, the seventy fifth anniversary, the
Kidney Ball coming up, and a few other events, and
how to donate and all those great things, and of
course the website. But you brought a special guest with
us today. Can you tell us a little bit about
her and her journey going on right now?
Speaker 2 (07:26):
Oh?
Speaker 3 (07:26):
Yeah, yeah, Stacy war is really incredible.
Speaker 2 (07:29):
Stacy.
Speaker 3 (07:30):
I met her at a conference a couple of years
ago and she shared her story readily, and I was
just you know, it's like such a cautionary tale and
it really speaks to something that we're really focusing on
right now, which is how kidney disease testing and diagnosis
(07:52):
is being missed in the primary care setting.
Speaker 2 (07:56):
And no knock on primary care.
Speaker 3 (07:58):
They have so much to do and you know, their
beholden to electronic medical records and so many other things.
But people with diabetes and hypertension, which are the leading causes,
are not necessarily being are tested for kidney disease. Our
testing rates are somewhere under twenty percent in the DMV,
(08:20):
even with you know, those leading causes. So in two
thousand and eight. Stacey was in college and she felt terrible.
She was exhausted, she was in pain, she was getting
splitting headaches. So she went to the campus clinician and
she got diagnosed with high blood pressure and they told her,
(08:43):
you know, take water pills and you know other things.
Speaker 2 (08:47):
But this kept going on. So she for years she was.
Speaker 3 (08:51):
Being hospitalized with all kinds of symptoms. And this went
on and on for eleven years, and finally in twenty nineteen,
she was you know, she had the proper diagnosis of
end stage renal disease, which is stage five, which means
your kidneys are barely functioning. And she, you know, she
was dumbfounded. She was absolutely gobsmacked because no one in
(09:16):
her family had kidney disease.
Speaker 2 (09:17):
She didn't know of anybody.
Speaker 3 (09:18):
She was so young, so you know, she she went
through some tough times, you know, where she had to
really search into, you know, her soul and kind of
deal with this. So you know, she can tell you
more about her her journey once once she was diagnosed.
But I think the turnaround is is really unbelievable. I
(09:41):
think that she's really discovered the power of her voice.
She she really tells her story really well, and she's
really passionate about raising awareness so that other people don't
have to go through what she did, because she would
have made changes had she known. She just didn't know
the connection. So I think that her story can really
(10:02):
help people say, wait a minute, wait a minute, high
blood pressure, diabetes, there's a tie to kidney disease. So
we really have given her the microphone, you know, every
chance we can over the past few years, and you
can just hear a pin drop when she tells her
story because she really tells it effectively, and it's really,
(10:22):
like I said, a cautionary tale.
Speaker 1 (10:24):
And with that, here's my conversation with Stacey.
Speaker 4 (10:27):
So in July.
Speaker 5 (10:29):
In June of twenty nineteen, about three weeks before I started,
I went before I got sick and went to the hospital.
I started experiencing some symptoms of losing my breath and
not being able to sleep on my back. I felt
as if I couldn't breathe. When I walked from my
(10:52):
bedroom to the kitchen, I was very like out of breath,
and I thought at the time that it was because
maybe I wasn't working out, or maybe I'm just like
really exhausted. So I kind of ignored it, you know,
and as the weeks progressed, that's when the symptoms it
(11:14):
got worse. I started throwing up and I'm like, Okay,
something is wrong. I couldn't go to sleep, and so
I had reached out to my mom and I was
telling my mom about everything that I was going through,
and then she decided to take me to the hospital,
and so I had. Then I found out that I
(11:34):
had chronic kidney disease stage five. I had liquid in
my lungs, I had a slightly large heart, and I
also had a walk in ammonia. And I was shocked,
as you can imagine. I did not think I would
hear chronic kidney disease.
Speaker 4 (11:54):
That wasn't something I was really familiar with.
Speaker 5 (11:57):
But I was in totals because I've had a long
history with high blood pressure and so and that started
when I was in college, my issue with high blood pressure.
Speaker 1 (12:12):
So I want to talk about not only the physical
part of this, but also the mental part of it,
if I could. Stacy obviously, you know when you get
a diagnosis, a lot of things run through your mind
when you get sick about how could this be me?
I think the anger and the shock over itd that
you know, you can address if you like. But also
I imagine that you started to do your research and
(12:33):
you talk to your doctors, and now you know you're
on a journey here and waiting for a possible transplant,
which I also want to address too. Talk a little
bit about you got the diagnosis, then what happened.
Speaker 5 (12:48):
My initial reaction was shock, and then I immediately felt guilt.
Speaker 4 (12:58):
I was really upset that I was distrawed.
Speaker 5 (13:02):
I was guilty because I knew I had this issue
with high blood pressure years prior, and I just blamed
everything that I did, you know, like, oh my goodness,
I probably shouldn't have eaten this, I probably shouldn't have
went out with my friends. And I had a lot
of you know, guilt that, oh my goodness, I wasn't
(13:24):
taking care of myself. I just felt really, really bad,
and I had to go through therapy for two years
right after that diagnosis to not only just deal with
having chronic Kenney disease, but the lifestyle.
Speaker 4 (13:43):
Changes that I would have to make.
Speaker 5 (13:45):
You know, at that time, I wasn't my healthiest and
I could have been, you know, healthier.
Speaker 4 (13:53):
I could have made healthier.
Speaker 5 (13:55):
Choices, but I didn't, and so it was a lot
of self blamed that I had to work through. And
going to therapy was probably the best thing that I've
did because it helped me deal with a lot of
the negative emotions that I had with having chronic Hinduy
disease and also just you know, accepting it and also
(14:18):
not wanting anyone else to go through what I've you know,
been through.
Speaker 1 (14:23):
Well, thanks for sharing that. And I always tell people
that you know, when you get diagnosed with a disease
or something chronic like an autoimmune disease like I have,
there is also that mental part of it of all
the different emotions that you went through. So where you're
at today, what's your status right now?
Speaker 5 (14:41):
So today, I am currently on the transplant list in
marks two years this past December. I see my nephrologists
every three months. I'm taking medication. I'm also being as
healthy as I can. I'm also a run as well,
so I'm still running, I'm still working out, and I
(15:04):
just praying and focus on the joys of life. Don't
know that's why I choose to focus on traveling and
just having a good time.
Speaker 1 (15:13):
Sure, tell me about your relationship with the National Kidney Foundation,
you know the website. Obviously we're talking to Michelle today,
but just you know, learning about things up there and
where it's taken you and your journey to let you
know that you're not alone in this fight.
Speaker 5 (15:30):
So when I first met Michelle, I met where I
believe it was in October of twenty twenty three or
November of twenty twenty three, and we met at this
event that the National Kidney Foundation put on it.
Speaker 4 (15:45):
But that's the and so I decided to attend.
Speaker 5 (15:49):
I at that point, I didn't know anyone was chronic
kidney disease. So I'm just coming in, you know, just
being hopeful and optimistic that I can just.
Speaker 4 (15:58):
Meet I want to relate to.
Speaker 5 (16:01):
And so when I went to the reception, that's when
I met Michelle, her entire team. I met other patients
as well, and I just spoke to.
Speaker 4 (16:11):
I believe almost everyone in that room.
Speaker 5 (16:13):
And once I spoke to everyone, I felt a sense
of community and a sense of support that I haven't
felt since the moment I was diagnosed.
Speaker 4 (16:25):
And it was just like an eye opener for me.
Speaker 5 (16:28):
And attending that conference, I learned so much then and
then After that, I kept in contact with Michelle and
her other's staff members and I've just done as many
events and as many speaking engagements, any volunteer opportunities if
I was available for, I did it and that's why
(16:48):
I'm here.
Speaker 1 (16:49):
Well. Very cool, and I think that you know, as
human beings, Stacy, I'm sure you would agree, we just
want to be able to relate to each other, that
we know that we're not on an island by herself.
And that's what you did, and I'm so happy that
things are moving forward. If I could indulge our audience
and myself with you and kind of wrapping up, I
know your jury is very personal to you, but if
(17:10):
you could give any advice to anybody that might be
going through something similar that you're going through, what advice
would you impart on them?
Speaker 4 (17:20):
Oh, I would tell them to there's a community for everyone.
Speaker 5 (17:31):
Do not be afraid to put yourself out there because
you know, finding someone that you can relate to and
speak to it would heal you in so many ways unimaginable.
And I would tell them to be positive, be hopeful,
(17:52):
and to focus on the.
Speaker 4 (17:55):
Things that make you happy being around your friends.
Speaker 5 (17:59):
You know, those relationship with your friends, your family members,
and really focus one makes you happy and that you
know there's more to life than what we're going through,
and you know, just focus on your happiness.
Speaker 1 (18:14):
I think that's really great advice. Stacy. I want to
thank you for sharing your personal story. Stay as healthy
as you can, and I really hope the best for you.
But thank you for joining us on Community DC. We
really appreciate it.
Speaker 4 (18:26):
Thank you so much. I'm glad to be here.
Speaker 1 (18:28):
Okay, Michelle, that was just a really emotional conversation with
Stacy and she's gone through the ringer and she's grinding
it out. It's really incredible.
Speaker 3 (18:38):
You know.
Speaker 1 (18:38):
The one thing I wanted to talk to you about
because I know you hear and see so many stories,
specifically Churts, because I know you two have met several
times and she's been speaking for you with different functions.
The mental part of being ill and trying to move
forward after getting over the shock and a by being
diagnosed with something, when you have some kind of kidney ailment,
it is just incredible on its own, but Stacy talked
(18:59):
about the mental part of that, and that's really important too,
to make sure that that is checked on because when
you're ill. When I've talked to people about my autoimmune
disease and having room returned arthritis, and even though mine
was a long time ago, no social media, no websites,
no information, I felt like I was an island by myself.
And I think Stacy was there too, even though she's
(19:20):
in modern times where you do have all that information.
When you get sick, it's scary, it's isolating, and the
mental toll it brings on people are extraordinary. And I
imagine not only with Stacy, You've seen this in a
lot of people that you've dealt with.
Speaker 3 (19:33):
Yeah, kidney disease affects the whole family. For particularly like
a dialysis patient. You know, the the toll it takes
on their energy. You know, they may not be able
to work anymore, they have to be transported to and
(19:54):
from dialysis. You know, they could be you know, absolutely
exhausted after the fact.
Speaker 2 (19:59):
So it's a lot. I mean, it's the diet.
Speaker 3 (20:03):
Can you imagine, you know, just your entire diet and
everything you enjoyed eating and drinking being you know, taken
away from you and then you're on a very restrictive diet.
You know, everything about your life changes when you're diagnosed
with kidney disease. So we recognize that we have we
(20:23):
have a patient Empowerment Summit coming up in September, and
we're really going to be focusing on you know the
importance of mental and physical well being, managing your diet, exercise,
and anxiety. You know the importance of c KD awareness,
(20:43):
modality options, you know that give you the most flexibility.
Like I said, home dialysis versus in center, versus transplantation,
paying for a transplant, you know, insurance questions.
Speaker 2 (20:57):
It's overwhelming.
Speaker 3 (20:59):
So yeah, I mean that the link between kidney disease
and mental health is very.
Speaker 1 (21:03):
Very strong, And I'm always glad to speak about this
because it really doesn't matter what disease it is, folks.
The mental part of it and the anguish that comes
with it, once again after the shakunawe about being diagnosed
is extraordinary and it's real and I can talk from
my own experiences. Mine was back in nineteen eighty seven
and I'm a seventies kid, so I just locked it away,
which was not a healthy thing to do. And now
(21:26):
that people have the opportunity, whether they're talking with people
like Michelle or a helpline or just other patients that say, hey, listen,
you're not alone. I'm going through this too and being
and that's something you know, Stace and I also talk
about being related to another human being. Michelle, I'm just
so glad that it's addressed now because it's needed, and
it's craved and wanted, and I'm glad it's a part
(21:46):
of the treatment for people to in that whole mental
aspect of it. I did want to talk because you know,
March's National Kidney Month, and the interview is running in
this month now, in March. Listen, this is twelve months
around the year. You've got all sorts of things planned
all the time. But tell me about March and what's
going on in why March for a National Kidney Month then,
and what you're doing.
Speaker 3 (22:09):
One of the things that one of the ways that
we celebrate March is through our gala, the Kidney Ball,
which is going to be on March twenty second at
the McLean Hilton. It's one of the largest galleys across
the country focusing on, you know, the care and prevention
of kidney disease and raising awareness in the community.
Speaker 2 (22:29):
You know, in the DMV.
Speaker 3 (22:30):
We have among the highest rates of kidney disease in
the nation, so we it is a wonderful gathering of
the medical community, patients, living donors, state, local, federal advocates
raising awareness about organ donation transplantation. So we have a
(22:54):
cocktail reception, a three course dinner, silent auction, mission moment
featuring Stacey. She'll be sharing her story there, and just
great networking with some of the you know national Capital
Area's business, government and medical leaders. So, you know, we
invite everyone to you know, visit us at KIDNEYBALLDC dot
(23:18):
org to learn more, to attend, to make a donation,
to do what you can to you know, help the
thirty seven million Americans with chronic kidney disease in general.
You know, for March, we we want people to empower
themselves with with some of the resources that we have
available and learn more about kidney disease their risk for it.
(23:43):
We have a quiz that you can take at minute
for your kidneys dot org to learn about your risk.
Speaker 2 (23:50):
For kidney disease.
Speaker 3 (23:52):
We we had talked about, you know, connection to other people.
We have a Peers Counseling program where where kidney patients
can be matched with a peer mentor you know, so
that they don't feel alone, so that they can ask questions.
I love that someone who's been there. Yeah, it's a
wonderful program. We have NKF Cares, which is a helpline
(24:15):
where patients or family members can call and just ask
questions and of trained professionals and see what kind of
resources we have available. We have a Kidney Learning Center
where you can take free online courses if you just
go to kidney dot org.
Speaker 2 (24:32):
There are so many resources that are.
Speaker 1 (24:34):
Available outstanding, and this is a great segue to talk
about donations. Now, whether you're an individual and you want
to do a one time donation, or maybe you want
to do it monthly, you are a small, medium, large business,
or maybe even a corporate sponsor, what are the best
ways that they can start that process with you, Michelle.
Speaker 2 (24:52):
Sure they are.
Speaker 3 (24:54):
We have a kidney dot org or our local website
which is need w dc dot org. You can learn
about all of the programs and the events we host.
If you want to become a corporate sponsor of our gala,
the Kidney Ball, We've got a golf tournament coming up
in June. We've got our walk coming up in October.
(25:15):
It's all up on our web uh up on our website,
so you can learn more about getting involved with those events.
You can bring an employee team out to volunteer. We
always need day of volunteers at our events and that's
a wonderful way. You can make a donation online at
Kidney dot org, slash donate there are that we have
(25:38):
a car donation program Kidney.
Speaker 2 (25:40):
Cars dot org, so you can donate your vehicle any there.
Speaker 3 (25:45):
There are any number of ways to get involved, so
we just really encourage people to reach out to you know,
come to our social media. We're on Facebook, Slash and
k f n C a Instagram, on our webs site,
or you know, just reach out to me directly and
let us know about your your.
Speaker 6 (26:06):
Interest and we will plug you in. We promise you
out standing. Well, let's do this. We've got about three
minutes left, Michelle. Maybe just some final thoughts and just
kind of recap everything. We'll give the websites one more
time about the ball coming up in late March, how
to donate, lots of information. The people and your team
that put the website together are great because it's easy
(26:26):
to navigate and there's really a ton of information. It
can be overwhelming, but if you just try to check
and play with a little bit, it really is a
great website.
Speaker 2 (26:34):
So whether it's that.
Speaker 1 (26:34):
With that said, maybe just some final thoughts from you and.
Speaker 3 (26:36):
Everything, Yeah, absolutely if I think that one of the
most important things is, you know, check your risk for
kidney disease.
Speaker 2 (26:47):
Go to minute for your kidneys dot org.
Speaker 3 (26:50):
Learn if you have you know, diabetes hypertension, learn about
the tests that you can take to find out if
you have chronic kidney disease.
Speaker 2 (26:59):
You go kidney dot org.
Speaker 3 (27:01):
There are any number of resources available, our Peers Mentoring program,
our helpline, all of the all of the things that
I mentioned. Go to kidney dot org and learn more
about that. Come to Kidney w DC dot org and
learn more about our local programs and services. We've got
programs for patients coming up. Our Patient Empowerment Someone is
(27:24):
coming up in the fall. We've got steps to learn
about becoming a living donor finding a living donor. We've
got programs about that coming up in the in the
coming months. Get involved with our Kidney Walk in October.
That's a great.
Speaker 2 (27:41):
Way to meet the entire community.
Speaker 3 (27:44):
Hundreds and hundreds of people come out to Freedom Plaza
and d C and that is one of the best
ways to learn about the National Kidney Foundation and to
meet others and to really feel the fellowship like Stacy
did when she first got involved with us.
Speaker 1 (27:58):
And then one last thing, speaking of Stacy, it's a
cautionary tail, folks. You know, she had high blood pressure
and she let it kind of hang around for a
little bit. Now. I don't want to start diagnosing whether
that had anything to do with what she has now.
But the point is, and Michelle, I think you know,
you've met so many patients that have had kidney ailments
that if you're feeling any kind of weird way, that's
(28:20):
not normal. We want to have make sure that we
harp on this. And I say that because I'm even
guilty of it too. About when you're not feeling well,
go to the doctor and just get get it checked
out right.
Speaker 2 (28:32):
Yes, absolutely, and advocate for yourself.
Speaker 3 (28:35):
Yeah, you know, they have limited time, so really do
your research. Go to the reputable organizations, you know, National
Kidney Foundation, American Heart, you know, some of the really
reputable ones, and just learn all that you can so
that you can go into your doctor's office and have
the right questions.
Speaker 2 (28:55):
Advocate for yourself. It's really important.
Speaker 1 (28:58):
Great advice. Well, Michelle, it's great to catch up with you.
Thank you so much. Thanks for making the introduction to
having Stacey on with us. It's an incredible story and
she's once again just another powerful person that's grinding it
out and had this curve ball of life thrown at her.
But she's persevering and has just a wonderful attitude after
being through the ring. And it's to really an incredible story.
(29:18):
So I can see why she is a spokesperson for
you and all your different events. Thank you for everything,
and I hope that the Ball is going to be
great in late March. I hope people let's give the
websites one more time for tickets and also just for
regular donations, because I want to make sure people check
that out.
Speaker 3 (29:34):
Sure, Yes, the Kidney Ball on March twenty second at
the McClain Helton and the website is Kidneyball DC dot
org and then general donations Kidney dot org slash donate
and I hope you'll come out and join us.
Speaker 2 (29:52):
Dennis, thanks so much for this opportunity.
Speaker 1 (29:54):
Thanks Michelle, it's great to have you board again on
Community DC and we'll talk to you very soon.
Speaker 4 (30:00):
I
Good morning, and welcome to another edition of Community DC.
I'm your host Dennis Glasgow. This morning, we get a
chance to once again talk about kidneys with our friend
from the National Kidney Foundation, Michelle Anthony. Plus we also
get to hear from someone that Michelle knows very well,
that includes our many public speaking events, to share her
very personal story, and that's Stacy war here's my conversation
(00:25):
with both. I hope you enjoyed it as much as
I did. Good morning, Michelle.
Speaker 2 (00:29):
Good morning, Dennis. How are you.
Speaker 1 (00:30):
I'm great, And it's been a while since we had
a chance to talk, and now with a National Kidney Foundation.
As I said in the Open seventy fifth anniversary March's
National Kidney Month, you got a kidney ball coming up,
so there's so much to talk about. And a special guest, Stacy,
that we're going to talk in the middle of our program,
who's going through her own personal jury that you set
up for us, and I really appreciate you doing that,
(00:50):
so can't wait to talk to her. Let's do this
for our new listeners that might not know a lot
about the National Kidney Foundation. I know you've got a
wider net now too that you're working with, including Virginia,
talk about exactly what the foundation does.
Speaker 3 (01:02):
Chronic kidney disease affects one in seven adults, that's fifteen
percent of the adult population, and ninety percent of the
people who have it don't even know that they have it.
So really it is our job to make sure that
people know about the warning signs of kidney disease, the
(01:23):
leading causes being diabetes and hypertension.
Speaker 2 (01:27):
Who's at risk for kidney disease.
Speaker 3 (01:30):
And you know, if they should get tested, and you know,
just letting patients know that there is a lifeline for them,
dialysis patients, giving them options, modalities, letting them know what's
available in terms of treatment, transplant options that are available
to kidney patients. We do a lot of professional education
(01:53):
for healthcare professionals as well, so you know, we serve
the community, kidney patients, professionals really just try to overcome
this epidemic that is really strong in the National Capital Area. Unfortunately,
DC has among the highest incidents of kidney disease in
(02:13):
the country.
Speaker 1 (02:14):
Well, if we could talk about that, I don't know
if you have national numbers, but if you'd like to
kind of CENTERU on the DMV we can do that too.
And I don't know the latest and we won't hold
you in anything very specific, but what kind of numbers
are we looking at with people that either have some
kind of kidney situation and then also being on the
transplant list, because I know those numbers get pretty high.
Speaker 2 (02:33):
Yeah, absolutely so.
Speaker 3 (02:35):
An estimated thirty seven million Americans across the country have
chronic kidney disease. Like I said, that's about fifteen percent
of adults. And then in the National Capital Area, we
have the dubious distinction of having the highest rate of
kidney disease in the nation. In the tri state area
of DC, Maryland and Virginia, there are over two million
(02:58):
people with chronic kidney disease. And you know, bearing out
the statistics of ten percent, only two hundred and thirty
thousand are aware that they have it, which means two
million people are walking around with undiagnosed kidney disease and
might be headed toward cardiovascular events or kidney failure. Unfortunately,
(03:20):
a lot of kidney patients never even progress to kidney failure.
Speaker 2 (03:23):
That they may die from a.
Speaker 3 (03:25):
Heart attack, stroke, or other cardiovascular event. And then in
terms of the transplant waiting list. There are about one
hundred and twenty thousand people waiting for an organ transplant,
and of those, about one hundred thousand are waiting for
a new kidney. So an average of twenty people die
(03:47):
a day waiting for a new organ and it's really
tragic because you know, one organ donor can save eight
lives deceased organ donors can donate two kidneys to lungs,
their heart, liver, pancreas, and intestine. So while ninety five
percent of Americans say they're in favor of being a donor,
(04:09):
only fifty eight percent registered. So it's important that if
you support organ donation that you register to be an
organ donor, which you can do through your driver's license
at the DMV or you can go to donatelife dot
net and register to be an organ donor. We also
have a lot of programs for potential living donors, so
(04:32):
you know, if you're a healthy person, you can donate
a kidney or partial liver while you're living. So you
can go to our website and learn more about becoming
a living donor, which is a you know, the best
possible outcome for a kidney patient or a lung trench
a lung patient, so that that's possible too. We have
(04:52):
a lot of curriculum and workshops that are available to
learn more about how to become a living donor, how to.
Speaker 2 (05:01):
Find a living donor.
Speaker 3 (05:03):
And really it's, like I said, it's the best outcome
possible for patients.
Speaker 1 (05:07):
Well, really staggering numbers there. I did want to talk
about technology because I know that you've seen a lot
of different things that have come through when it's medications,
at home dialysis. I mean, there's all sorts of different
things where technology is really caught up and made people
a little bit more comfortable. As we look at people
that have any kind of ailments right now between medications,
as you work with doctors and researchers and any kind
(05:29):
of technology, what do you see today that you know
is getting you excited least that we're tackling this the
best we can and people are getting a decent quality
of life.
Speaker 3 (05:37):
I think that home dialysis is the thing that I
would really well, it's really important to us as one
of our overall goals just ensuring that patients live.
Speaker 2 (05:49):
The life that they want.
Speaker 3 (05:51):
So we want them to have the option of home dialysis,
and you know, you imagine dialysis to be this big,
huge machine and people sitting you know, attached to it
in a center. And then now you know, the machines
have gotten much smaller, and home dialysis, home hemo dialysis
is now available so that you can treat yourself at
(06:12):
home if you have you know, a good care partner
who is trained along with you. And think about the
amount of time that you would spend traveling back and
forth to the dialysis center, you know, getting on and
off the machine. People go three times a week, they're
on the machine for four hours. They're frequently you know,
(06:34):
exhausted and really taxed afterwards. So having that option to
do it at home. There's also another modality called peritoneal dialysis,
where your peritoneum in your stomach serves as the filter
for you know, cleaning out your blood, So that's another option.
Speaker 2 (06:52):
So I think that really just being.
Speaker 3 (06:53):
Able to do those treatments at home are some of
the most amazing advances that I've seen over the past
few years, and we're just really hoping for all patients
to be able to have that available to them if
they're interested in it.
Speaker 1 (07:06):
Michelle, if we could put a pin in our conversation,
and when I rejoin you, we're going to talk about
March being National Kidney Month, the seventy fifth anniversary, the
Kidney Ball coming up, and a few other events, and
how to donate and all those great things, and of
course the website. But you brought a special guest with
us today. Can you tell us a little bit about
her and her journey going on right now?
Speaker 2 (07:26):
Oh?
Speaker 3 (07:26):
Yeah, yeah, Stacy war is really incredible.
Speaker 2 (07:29):
Stacy.
Speaker 3 (07:30):
I met her at a conference a couple of years
ago and she shared her story readily, and I was
just you know, it's like such a cautionary tale and
it really speaks to something that we're really focusing on
right now, which is how kidney disease testing and diagnosis
(07:52):
is being missed in the primary care setting.
Speaker 2 (07:56):
And no knock on primary care.
Speaker 3 (07:58):
They have so much to do and you know, their
beholden to electronic medical records and so many other things.
But people with diabetes and hypertension, which are the leading causes,
are not necessarily being are tested for kidney disease. Our
testing rates are somewhere under twenty percent in the DMV,
(08:20):
even with you know, those leading causes. So in two
thousand and eight. Stacey was in college and she felt terrible.
She was exhausted, she was in pain, she was getting
splitting headaches. So she went to the campus clinician and
she got diagnosed with high blood pressure and they told her,
(08:43):
you know, take water pills and you know other things.
Speaker 2 (08:47):
But this kept going on. So she for years she was.
Speaker 3 (08:51):
Being hospitalized with all kinds of symptoms. And this went
on and on for eleven years, and finally in twenty nineteen,
she was you know, she had the proper diagnosis of
end stage renal disease, which is stage five, which means
your kidneys are barely functioning. And she, you know, she
was dumbfounded. She was absolutely gobsmacked because no one in
(09:16):
her family had kidney disease.
Speaker 2 (09:17):
She didn't know of anybody.
Speaker 3 (09:18):
She was so young, so you know, she she went
through some tough times, you know, where she had to
really search into, you know, her soul and kind of
deal with this. So you know, she can tell you
more about her her journey once once she was diagnosed.
But I think the turnaround is is really unbelievable. I
(09:41):
think that she's really discovered the power of her voice.
She she really tells her story really well, and she's
really passionate about raising awareness so that other people don't
have to go through what she did, because she would
have made changes had she known. She just didn't know
the connection. So I think that her story can really
(10:02):
help people say, wait a minute, wait a minute, high
blood pressure, diabetes, there's a tie to kidney disease. So
we really have given her the microphone, you know, every
chance we can over the past few years, and you
can just hear a pin drop when she tells her
story because she really tells it effectively, and it's really,
(10:22):
like I said, a cautionary tale.
Speaker 1 (10:24):
And with that, here's my conversation with Stacey.
Speaker 4 (10:27):
So in July.
Speaker 5 (10:29):
In June of twenty nineteen, about three weeks before I started,
I went before I got sick and went to the hospital.
I started experiencing some symptoms of losing my breath and
not being able to sleep on my back. I felt
as if I couldn't breathe. When I walked from my
(10:52):
bedroom to the kitchen, I was very like out of breath,
and I thought at the time that it was because
maybe I wasn't working out, or maybe I'm just like
really exhausted. So I kind of ignored it, you know,
and as the weeks progressed, that's when the symptoms it
(11:14):
got worse. I started throwing up and I'm like, Okay,
something is wrong. I couldn't go to sleep, and so
I had reached out to my mom and I was
telling my mom about everything that I was going through,
and then she decided to take me to the hospital,
and so I had. Then I found out that I
(11:34):
had chronic kidney disease stage five. I had liquid in
my lungs, I had a slightly large heart, and I
also had a walk in ammonia. And I was shocked,
as you can imagine. I did not think I would
hear chronic kidney disease.
Speaker 4 (11:54):
That wasn't something I was really familiar with.
Speaker 5 (11:57):
But I was in totals because I've had a long
history with high blood pressure and so and that started
when I was in college, my issue with high blood pressure.
Speaker 1 (12:12):
So I want to talk about not only the physical
part of this, but also the mental part of it,
if I could. Stacy obviously, you know when you get
a diagnosis, a lot of things run through your mind
when you get sick about how could this be me?
I think the anger and the shock over itd that
you know, you can address if you like. But also
I imagine that you started to do your research and
(12:33):
you talk to your doctors, and now you know you're
on a journey here and waiting for a possible transplant,
which I also want to address too. Talk a little
bit about you got the diagnosis, then what happened.
Speaker 5 (12:48):
My initial reaction was shock, and then I immediately felt guilt.
Speaker 4 (12:58):
I was really upset that I was distrawed.
Speaker 5 (13:02):
I was guilty because I knew I had this issue
with high blood pressure years prior, and I just blamed
everything that I did, you know, like, oh my goodness,
I probably shouldn't have eaten this, I probably shouldn't have
went out with my friends. And I had a lot
of you know, guilt that, oh my goodness, I wasn't
(13:24):
taking care of myself. I just felt really, really bad,
and I had to go through therapy for two years
right after that diagnosis to not only just deal with
having chronic Kenney disease, but the lifestyle.
Speaker 4 (13:43):
Changes that I would have to make.
Speaker 5 (13:45):
You know, at that time, I wasn't my healthiest and
I could have been, you know, healthier.
Speaker 4 (13:53):
I could have made healthier.
Speaker 5 (13:55):
Choices, but I didn't, and so it was a lot
of self blamed that I had to work through. And
going to therapy was probably the best thing that I've
did because it helped me deal with a lot of
the negative emotions that I had with having chronic Hinduy
disease and also just you know, accepting it and also
(14:18):
not wanting anyone else to go through what I've you know,
been through.
Speaker 1 (14:23):
Well, thanks for sharing that. And I always tell people
that you know, when you get diagnosed with a disease
or something chronic like an autoimmune disease like I have,
there is also that mental part of it of all
the different emotions that you went through. So where you're
at today, what's your status right now?
Speaker 5 (14:41):
So today, I am currently on the transplant list in
marks two years this past December. I see my nephrologists
every three months. I'm taking medication. I'm also being as
healthy as I can. I'm also a run as well,
so I'm still running, I'm still working out, and I
(15:04):
just praying and focus on the joys of life. Don't
know that's why I choose to focus on traveling and
just having a good time.
Speaker 1 (15:13):
Sure, tell me about your relationship with the National Kidney Foundation,
you know the website. Obviously we're talking to Michelle today,
but just you know, learning about things up there and
where it's taken you and your journey to let you
know that you're not alone in this fight.
Speaker 5 (15:30):
So when I first met Michelle, I met where I
believe it was in October of twenty twenty three or
November of twenty twenty three, and we met at this
event that the National Kidney Foundation put on it.
Speaker 4 (15:45):
But that's the and so I decided to attend.
Speaker 5 (15:49):
I at that point, I didn't know anyone was chronic
kidney disease. So I'm just coming in, you know, just
being hopeful and optimistic that I can just.
Speaker 4 (15:58):
Meet I want to relate to.
Speaker 5 (16:01):
And so when I went to the reception, that's when
I met Michelle, her entire team. I met other patients
as well, and I just spoke to.
Speaker 4 (16:11):
I believe almost everyone in that room.
Speaker 5 (16:13):
And once I spoke to everyone, I felt a sense
of community and a sense of support that I haven't
felt since the moment I was diagnosed.
Speaker 4 (16:25):
And it was just like an eye opener for me.
Speaker 5 (16:28):
And attending that conference, I learned so much then and
then After that, I kept in contact with Michelle and
her other's staff members and I've just done as many
events and as many speaking engagements, any volunteer opportunities if
I was available for, I did it and that's why
(16:48):
I'm here.
Speaker 1 (16:49):
Well. Very cool, and I think that you know, as
human beings, Stacy, I'm sure you would agree, we just
want to be able to relate to each other, that
we know that we're not on an island by herself.
And that's what you did, and I'm so happy that
things are moving forward. If I could indulge our audience
and myself with you and kind of wrapping up, I
know your jury is very personal to you, but if
(17:10):
you could give any advice to anybody that might be
going through something similar that you're going through, what advice
would you impart on them?
Speaker 4 (17:20):
Oh, I would tell them to there's a community for everyone.
Speaker 5 (17:31):
Do not be afraid to put yourself out there because
you know, finding someone that you can relate to and
speak to it would heal you in so many ways unimaginable.
And I would tell them to be positive, be hopeful,
(17:52):
and to focus on the.
Speaker 4 (17:55):
Things that make you happy being around your friends.
Speaker 5 (17:59):
You know, those relationship with your friends, your family members,
and really focus one makes you happy and that you
know there's more to life than what we're going through,
and you know, just focus on your happiness.
Speaker 1 (18:14):
I think that's really great advice. Stacy. I want to
thank you for sharing your personal story. Stay as healthy
as you can, and I really hope the best for you.
But thank you for joining us on Community DC. We
really appreciate it.
Speaker 4 (18:26):
Thank you so much. I'm glad to be here.
Speaker 1 (18:28):
Okay, Michelle, that was just a really emotional conversation with
Stacy and she's gone through the ringer and she's grinding
it out. It's really incredible.
Speaker 3 (18:38):
You know.
Speaker 1 (18:38):
The one thing I wanted to talk to you about
because I know you hear and see so many stories,
specifically Churts, because I know you two have met several
times and she's been speaking for you with different functions.
The mental part of being ill and trying to move
forward after getting over the shock and a by being
diagnosed with something, when you have some kind of kidney ailment,
it is just incredible on its own, but Stacy talked
(18:59):
about the mental part of that, and that's really important too,
to make sure that that is checked on because when
you're ill. When I've talked to people about my autoimmune
disease and having room returned arthritis, and even though mine
was a long time ago, no social media, no websites,
no information, I felt like I was an island by myself.
And I think Stacy was there too, even though she's
(19:20):
in modern times where you do have all that information.
When you get sick, it's scary, it's isolating, and the
mental toll it brings on people are extraordinary. And I
imagine not only with Stacy, You've seen this in a
lot of people that you've dealt with.
Speaker 3 (19:33):
Yeah, kidney disease affects the whole family. For particularly like
a dialysis patient. You know, the the toll it takes
on their energy. You know, they may not be able
to work anymore, they have to be transported to and
(19:54):
from dialysis. You know, they could be you know, absolutely
exhausted after the fact.
Speaker 2 (19:59):
So it's a lot. I mean, it's the diet.
Speaker 3 (20:03):
Can you imagine, you know, just your entire diet and
everything you enjoyed eating and drinking being you know, taken
away from you and then you're on a very restrictive diet.
You know, everything about your life changes when you're diagnosed
with kidney disease. So we recognize that we have we
(20:23):
have a patient Empowerment Summit coming up in September, and
we're really going to be focusing on you know the
importance of mental and physical well being, managing your diet, exercise,
and anxiety. You know the importance of c KD awareness,
(20:43):
modality options, you know that give you the most flexibility.
Like I said, home dialysis versus in center, versus transplantation,
paying for a transplant, you know, insurance questions.
Speaker 2 (20:57):
It's overwhelming.
Speaker 3 (20:59):
So yeah, I mean that the link between kidney disease
and mental health is very.
Speaker 1 (21:03):
Very strong, And I'm always glad to speak about this
because it really doesn't matter what disease it is, folks.
The mental part of it and the anguish that comes
with it, once again after the shakunawe about being diagnosed
is extraordinary and it's real and I can talk from
my own experiences. Mine was back in nineteen eighty seven
and I'm a seventies kid, so I just locked it away,
which was not a healthy thing to do. And now
(21:26):
that people have the opportunity, whether they're talking with people
like Michelle or a helpline or just other patients that say, hey, listen,
you're not alone. I'm going through this too and being
and that's something you know, Stace and I also talk
about being related to another human being. Michelle, I'm just
so glad that it's addressed now because it's needed, and
it's craved and wanted, and I'm glad it's a part
(21:46):
of the treatment for people to in that whole mental
aspect of it. I did want to talk because you know,
March's National Kidney Month, and the interview is running in
this month now, in March. Listen, this is twelve months
around the year. You've got all sorts of things planned
all the time. But tell me about March and what's
going on in why March for a National Kidney Month then,
and what you're doing.
Speaker 3 (22:09):
One of the things that one of the ways that
we celebrate March is through our gala, the Kidney Ball,
which is going to be on March twenty second at
the McLean Hilton. It's one of the largest galleys across
the country focusing on, you know, the care and prevention
of kidney disease and raising awareness in the community.
Speaker 2 (22:29):
You know, in the DMV.
Speaker 3 (22:30):
We have among the highest rates of kidney disease in
the nation, so we it is a wonderful gathering of
the medical community, patients, living donors, state, local, federal advocates
raising awareness about organ donation transplantation. So we have a
(22:54):
cocktail reception, a three course dinner, silent auction, mission moment
featuring Stacey. She'll be sharing her story there, and just
great networking with some of the you know national Capital
Area's business, government and medical leaders. So, you know, we
invite everyone to you know, visit us at KIDNEYBALLDC dot
(23:18):
org to learn more, to attend, to make a donation,
to do what you can to you know, help the
thirty seven million Americans with chronic kidney disease in general.
You know, for March, we we want people to empower
themselves with with some of the resources that we have
available and learn more about kidney disease their risk for it.
(23:43):
We have a quiz that you can take at minute
for your kidneys dot org to learn about your risk.
Speaker 2 (23:50):
For kidney disease.
Speaker 3 (23:52):
We we had talked about, you know, connection to other people.
We have a Peers Counseling program where where kidney patients
can be matched with a peer mentor you know, so
that they don't feel alone, so that they can ask questions.
I love that someone who's been there. Yeah, it's a
wonderful program. We have NKF Cares, which is a helpline
(24:15):
where patients or family members can call and just ask
questions and of trained professionals and see what kind of
resources we have available. We have a Kidney Learning Center
where you can take free online courses if you just
go to kidney dot org.
Speaker 2 (24:32):
There are so many resources that are.
Speaker 1 (24:34):
Available outstanding, and this is a great segue to talk
about donations. Now, whether you're an individual and you want
to do a one time donation, or maybe you want
to do it monthly, you are a small, medium, large business,
or maybe even a corporate sponsor, what are the best
ways that they can start that process with you, Michelle.
Speaker 2 (24:52):
Sure they are.
Speaker 3 (24:54):
We have a kidney dot org or our local website
which is need w dc dot org. You can learn
about all of the programs and the events we host.
If you want to become a corporate sponsor of our gala,
the Kidney Ball, We've got a golf tournament coming up
in June. We've got our walk coming up in October.
(25:15):
It's all up on our web uh up on our website,
so you can learn more about getting involved with those events.
You can bring an employee team out to volunteer. We
always need day of volunteers at our events and that's
a wonderful way. You can make a donation online at
Kidney dot org, slash donate there are that we have
(25:38):
a car donation program Kidney.
Speaker 2 (25:40):
Cars dot org, so you can donate your vehicle any there.
Speaker 3 (25:45):
There are any number of ways to get involved, so
we just really encourage people to reach out to you know,
come to our social media. We're on Facebook, Slash and
k f n C a Instagram, on our webs site,
or you know, just reach out to me directly and
let us know about your your.
Speaker 6 (26:06):
Interest and we will plug you in. We promise you
out standing. Well, let's do this. We've got about three
minutes left, Michelle. Maybe just some final thoughts and just
kind of recap everything. We'll give the websites one more
time about the ball coming up in late March, how
to donate, lots of information. The people and your team
that put the website together are great because it's easy
(26:26):
to navigate and there's really a ton of information. It
can be overwhelming, but if you just try to check
and play with a little bit, it really is a
great website.
Speaker 2 (26:34):
So whether it's that.
Speaker 1 (26:34):
With that said, maybe just some final thoughts from you and.
Speaker 3 (26:36):
Everything, Yeah, absolutely if I think that one of the
most important things is, you know, check your risk for
kidney disease.
Speaker 2 (26:47):
Go to minute for your kidneys dot org.
Speaker 3 (26:50):
Learn if you have you know, diabetes hypertension, learn about
the tests that you can take to find out if
you have chronic kidney disease.
Speaker 2 (26:59):
You go kidney dot org.
Speaker 3 (27:01):
There are any number of resources available, our Peers Mentoring program,
our helpline, all of the all of the things that
I mentioned. Go to kidney dot org and learn more
about that. Come to Kidney w DC dot org and
learn more about our local programs and services. We've got
programs for patients coming up. Our Patient Empowerment Someone is
(27:24):
coming up in the fall. We've got steps to learn
about becoming a living donor finding a living donor. We've
got programs about that coming up in the in the
coming months. Get involved with our Kidney Walk in October.
That's a great.
Speaker 2 (27:41):
Way to meet the entire community.
Speaker 3 (27:44):
Hundreds and hundreds of people come out to Freedom Plaza
and d C and that is one of the best
ways to learn about the National Kidney Foundation and to
meet others and to really feel the fellowship like Stacy
did when she first got involved with us.
Speaker 1 (27:58):
And then one last thing, speaking of Stacy, it's a
cautionary tail, folks. You know, she had high blood pressure
and she let it kind of hang around for a
little bit. Now. I don't want to start diagnosing whether
that had anything to do with what she has now.
But the point is, and Michelle, I think you know,
you've met so many patients that have had kidney ailments
that if you're feeling any kind of weird way, that's
(28:20):
not normal. We want to have make sure that we
harp on this. And I say that because I'm even
guilty of it too. About when you're not feeling well,
go to the doctor and just get get it checked
out right.
Speaker 2 (28:32):
Yes, absolutely, and advocate for yourself.
Speaker 3 (28:35):
Yeah, you know, they have limited time, so really do
your research. Go to the reputable organizations, you know, National
Kidney Foundation, American Heart, you know, some of the really
reputable ones, and just learn all that you can so
that you can go into your doctor's office and have
the right questions.
Speaker 2 (28:55):
Advocate for yourself. It's really important.
Speaker 1 (28:58):
Great advice. Well, Michelle, it's great to catch up with you.
Thank you so much. Thanks for making the introduction to
having Stacey on with us. It's an incredible story and
she's once again just another powerful person that's grinding it
out and had this curve ball of life thrown at her.
But she's persevering and has just a wonderful attitude after
being through the ring. And it's to really an incredible story.
(29:18):
So I can see why she is a spokesperson for
you and all your different events. Thank you for everything,
and I hope that the Ball is going to be
great in late March. I hope people let's give the
websites one more time for tickets and also just for
regular donations, because I want to make sure people check
that out.
Speaker 3 (29:34):
Sure, Yes, the Kidney Ball on March twenty second at
the McClain Helton and the website is Kidneyball DC dot
org and then general donations Kidney dot org slash donate
and I hope you'll come out and join us.
Speaker 2 (29:52):
Dennis, thanks so much for this opportunity.
Speaker 1 (29:54):
Thanks Michelle, it's great to have you board again on
Community DC and we'll talk to you very soon.
Speaker 4 (30:00):
I
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