Education & Support

The NephCure Foundation is dedicated to providing information and education for patients and families affected by nephrotic syndrome (NS) and focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS).  In an effort to keep our constituency informed on recent scientific advances, NephCure has created lay summaries, fact sheets[LINK], brochures and a glossary based on relevant research on Nephrotic Syndrome and FSGS.

What are kidneys and what do they do?
The kidneys are two bean-shaped organs found in the lower back. They are about the size of a fist. Kidneys are your bodies mechanism for cleaning your blood. They clean blood by filtering out excess water, sodium and waste products that enter your system through food. Healthy kidneys only filter out the “bad stuff” (waste) and keep “the good stuff” (protein), which helps the blood soak up water from other tissues. Damaged kidney filters may let protein slip through the filter and leak into the urine. As a result, not enough protein is left in the blood to soak up the water. The water then seeps from the blood into porous areas of your body’s tissues, causing swelling.

Watch Dr. Josh Stelzer explain his daughter Sage's condition (Nephrotic Syndrome):

Click here to read Sage's story