This year’s Federated Health Charities campaign runs from April 3, 2023, to June 30, 2023. During the campaign, we are highlighting how each of our 21 charities works to improve the health and well-being of people across our province.
The 17th charity in our spotlight is the Kidney Foundation of Canada. The Kidney Foundation works to improve the quality of life for people with kidney disease. They provide programs, services and resources for people, families and caregivers affected by kidney disease, including peer-to-peer counselling, support groups, and financial assistance for people in Ontario living with Kidney Disease. The Kidney Foundation is also a major funder of Canadian research on kidney disease. Since 1964, the Kidney Foundation has provided more than $124 million in funding for Canadians researching kidney disease, expanding the understanding of kidney function and kidney disease, and contributing to improved treatments that mean chronic kidney disease is no longer the death sentence it was just decades ago.
Your kidneys play a critical role in your health – you literally can’t live without them. The kidneys “clean” your blood by removing waste from the body through your urine, they help your body to make red blood cells, and they regulate blood pressure. Healthy kidneys are as essential to maintaining your body’s health as your heart or your lungs. But when your kidneys are damaged, they do not heal.
Normally, people have two kidneys, each about the size of your clenched fist, one on either side of the spine under the lower ribs. A normal kidney can greatly increase its workload to keep your body healthy if you are born with one kidney or if one kidney is injured or donated. While certain diseases like Glomerulonephritis (specific diseases causing kidney inflammation) and Polycystic kidney disease (a genetic condition) target the kidneys specifically, medical conditions like diabetes and high blood pressure are among the leading causes of kidney failure.
Recent estimates suggest that as many as two million Canadians have chronic kidney disease or are at risk, and most of them are unaware of it. For example, misuse or excessive use of non-prescription medications, particularly painkillers, can damage your kidneys. The Kidney Foundation recommends that people discuss all over-the-counter medications with a doctor or pharmacist before taking them. Certain other medications, toxins, pesticides and illegal drugs (such as heroin and cocaine) can also cause kidney damage.
People can control some of their risk of kidney disease by quitting (or never starting) smoking, staying active, maintaining a healthy weight, taking care when using over-the-counter painkillers, etc. but not all. People with diabetes, high blood pressure or who have a family history of kidney disease are at increased risk, as well as children born with kidneys that did not develop properly. People of Aboriginal, Asian, South Asian, Pacific Island, African/Caribbean and Hispanic descent are also at higher risk.
The Kidney Foundation has helped me in my time of need.
Lisa was diagnosed with diabetes when she was four years old. In 1995, she was told she had kidney disease and required peritoneal dialysis – a treatment for kidney failure in which dialysis fluid is introduced into the peritoneal cavity to remove wastes and water from the blood.
“The year I was on peritoneal dialysis was very hard because I was working and I was doing this four times a day,” Lisa says. “We didn’t have a life. You speak to my husband, it would basically be a year of survival. I had to do my blood tests, take my insulin. If I wasn’t doing one of those two things or working, I slept 24/7.”
The Kidney Foundation was there to help support Lisa through her dialysis, and again, when the anti-rejection medication she was taking following her kidney transplant in 1997 led to her developing cancer.
“I think that was the hardest thing for me to deal with, because I thought, you know, I’ve been through dialysis, I’ve been through hemo, I’ve been through peritoneal, really, do I need cancer?” Lisa says. “Without the Kidney Foundation, I don’t think I’d be as strong as I am today. It’s almost like a second family; they know everything about me, they’ve been there through my cancer journey, they’ve been there through dialysis.”
More than 30,000 people in Ontario are living with chronic kidney disease, receiving dialysis to treat their kidney failure or living with a functioning kidney transplant. There are more than 1,000 people in Ontario, and over 3,000 people across Canada, who are waiting for a kidney transplant.
For these people, the emotional, practical and often financial support provided by the Kidney Foundation is critical. Living with kidney disease has a significant impact on the overall household income. A significant proportion of patients are unable to work due to their health, which is compounded by their need to attend frequent dialysis treatments, which can make it very difficult for people living with kidney disease to maintain a job. The Kidney Foundation is often the last resort for people who need assistance with the cost of their treatment for kidney disease.
The Kidney Foundation has been a member of Federated Health Charities since 1990. Together with the support of our donors from across the Ontario Public Service, we’re working to provide hope, support and empowerment to people across Ontario living with kidney disease.
To learn more about the Kidney Foundation of Canada, please visit the Kidney Foundation – The Kidney Foundation of Canada.
To make a payroll pledge or donation to support the Kidney Foundation and Federated Health Charities, please visit Federated Health Charities.
