I walk for PKD because I want to do my part to help fight and put an end to PKD. I also want to raise awareness of this little know disease. My own personal story began in 1997. When my family doctor ran a CT scan, multiple cysts were found on both my kidneys. I was referred to a nephrologist who definitively stated that nothing was wrong. But with my gut and the research I’d done, I knew he was wrong.
It took me six more years of seeing various nephrologists in different states to find one who confirmed my suspicions—I had PKD. The diagnosis didn’t make me feel any better. There is no cure, but I was assured I wasn’t crazy in my feelings. Fortunately, at that time, I experienced no symptoms. I was at a steady and safe Stage 3 for all those years. Then in 2020, I experienced a UTI. My family doctor put me on medications, which unbeknown to me was a “deadly triangle” of medications, causing further kidney function decline.
Now I’m in Stage 5 kidney disease or end-stage renal disease. My nephrologist is recommending I go forward with dialysis or a transplant. Neither is a cure, but a treatment with serious side effects. Through a whole food, plant-based, low protein diet, I hope to delay the inevitable for as long as possible.
This is my second year [2023] in a row participating in the Walk Your Way for PKD because PKD is a serious, insidious, life-threatening kidney disease. I’m asking friends and family for support. Any amount, small or large, will be appreciated. I’m one of 600,000 Americans suffering from PKD. This story is just one of so many. Sometime soon, I may need to ask for someone to donate a kidney to me. I hope I can find a living donor but that will be challenging. There is no cure for PKD, but fundraising will help us find one. This is why I walk for PKD and why I donate to it regularly.