Another Action from Busy NCF: National Kidney Cure Week

The NephCure Foundation has unveiled plans for the first National Kidney Cure Week during the week of November 4, 2002, an event-filled week calling public and media attention to the growing health problem of kidney filtration disease.

One of the foundation's many supporters in Congress, U.S. Rep. Lynn N. Rivers (D-MI) on April 18 introduced a concurrent resolution in the U.S. House of Representatives commending NCF for initiating the special week.

"The NephCure Foundation is working hard to educate us all as to what happens when something goes wrong with the kidney's filtering mechanism," said Rep. Rivers in a statement. "I'm pleased to ask the secretary of Health and Human Service to further the educational effort begun by NCF."

Rep. Rivers is a long-time NCF supporter and introduced NCF officials when they presented their initial testimony before a House subcommittee in the Spring of 2001.

National Kidney Cure Week will include special events, contacts with the media, distribution of educational materials and fund-raising appeals, all in keeping with NCF's mission.

NephCure was founded by concerned families and medical professionals seeking to find a cause and cure for such glomerular diseases as Nephrotic Syndrome and focal segmental glomerulosclerosis, or FSGS. FSGS has stricken pro basketball players Alonzo Mourning and Sean Elliott and many other young adults and children.

While both NBA stars were able to resume their careers, some patients, such as 14-year-old Melanie Stewart, have lost their kidneys to the disease. Pennsylvania resident Melanie, who lost a transplanted kidney donated by her father and now undergoes dialysis eight hours daily, testified before Congress on behalf of NCF in May of 2002.

"When glomerular disease first strikes, patients often wake up with puffy eyelids and parents and physicians alike may mistake this symptom as an allergy," said NCF President Lou Antosh. "Kidney Cure Week will emphasize our year-long effort to educate everyone about a condition that causes so much pain to families and too often results in costly dialysis and kidney transplantation."

The NephCure Foundation is raising funds for research into glomerular disease, creating support programs for patients and their families, and consulting with Congressional leaders and officials of the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), which is preparing clinical trials into FSGS.

Read Lynn Rivers' Floor Statement by clicking here. 

Read Lynn Rivers' Concurrent Resolution by clicking here.