March is National Kidney Month. What does it mean to me as a Latina kidney transplant warrior? That we have plenty of work to be done to ensure that all of us receive equitable care and access to preventable treatments, cutting edge medications, dialysis and transplants.
Although anyone can develop kidney disease, this silent killer affects blacks and latinos at alarming disproportionate rates in our country. Kidney disease kills more people in underserved communities and is a clear mirror of the effects of health inequities. Systematic, avoidable, and unjust differences that prevent equitable access to care.
Now imagine living with kidney disease while being undocumented. It’s a life sentence. Though dialysis in many states is a reality through Medicaid and charitable programs, bureaucracy can take a toll, that for many, can be deadly. Transplants are almost nonexistent, like the hope of many, to make it one more day, to dream of being there for their children.
I am privileged to have been able to access a lifesaving procedure, that I know what my guardian angel looks like here on earth, my sister Grisel Caicedo who never thought twice, even against my hesitation, to give me the gift of life. But I am also privileged to be a Community Navigator, to be a witness and to work in the trenches of free clinics, where people desperately seek help, because they have been courageously in the shadows, cleaning schools, building houses, cooking your food…while their bodies slowly shut down.
Please, let’s not forget and keep fighting for equitable access to kidney care. Everyone with kidney disease, no matter where, no matter who, deserves to survive, to dream and to thrive.
#kidneyequityforall #healthequity #worldkidneyday National Kidney Foundation
#NationalKidneyMonth is here and we need your help to shine a spotlight on kidney health! Show us how you're celebrating—whether it's rocking orange or sharing your story—and tag us! Let's make some noise for kidney health! 🧡
👍 Thumbs up for the efforts made by MAZE in CKD research. 🤝 We believe that in the future, more researchers in the field of CKD will come together to bring hope to CKD patients.