I remember being a tween and waiting for hours at a hospital in Virginia for both my mother and my uncle to recover from surgery. Although they did not get along or speak very often, my mother donated one of her kidneys to my uncle. What a gift! Who knew that many years later both of their kidneys would fail around the same time and I would lose them only months apart within the same year.

Hypertension and diabetes are usually correlated with chronic kidney disease, so the focus in 2020 is the management of these comorbidities. Prevention methods consist of smoking cessation, healthier eating habits, incorporating at least 30 minutes of physical exercise, and getting enough sleep. For those patients who take medication to regulate their blood pressure, it is imperative that they continue to do so in order to reduce the risk of kidney disease.

Don’t forget to support by wearing green this month and spreading kidney disease awareness to your friends, family, and co-workers!

For more information, visit:

https://www.niddk.nih.gov/health-information/community-health-outreach/national-kidney-month