News
March 17, 2022

March 2022 PKD e-News

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Greetings!

Welcome to the PKD Foundation of Canada's March e-News! We have provided information important to helping you take action in your journey with PKD.

To view the e-News in French click here!

Learn


“A new first-of-its-kind study out of Canada has discovered a way to make 'universal' organs that could be used in all transplant recipients regardless of their blood type.”

Read the full article here!



Looking for a PKD-friendly recipe that's full of flavour? Try this pork noodle recipe, by guest blogger Kristen Walsh.

Check out more of Kristen's recipes on her Instagram, @kristenandpkd!




“Rare disease patients see, on average, seven or eight specialists over a five-year period before receiving a proper diagnosis. Technology that can drastically reduce that time period and enable patients to receive an earlier diagnosis is crucial, explains Jeff Robertson, Executive Director at the PKD Foundation of Canada.”

Read the full Toronto Star article featuring Dr. Nadia Alam and our very own Executive Director, Jeff Robertson here!

AwarenesS
Kidney Month is recognized in March across Canada and the United States. We spend this time raising awareness of the importance of our kidneys to our overall health, and to reduce the frequency and impact kidney disease and its associated health problems have on an international level.

Join us for 31 Days of PKD Challenges! In honor of March’s National Kidney Month, we will once again be taking on daily challenges to raise awareness of polycystic kidney disease (PKD). Stay tuned to our social media (Facebook, Instagram and Twitter) throughout the rest of march for information on how you can participate in the 31 Days of PKD Challenges!


"I was diagnosed with PKD in 1989 when pregnant with my first child (the disease was diagnosed on my first pre-natal ultrasound). My only prior symptom was slightly elevated blood pressure. I had never heard of the disease, and on learning that it is a hereditary disease, I researched its’ prevalence within my family. I come from a large family, as did my father, so I assumed that I would find other PKD incidences within my family: I was wrong."

To read Wilma's full story and to share your own PKD story, visit www.endpkd.ca/voices_of_pkd



Green Shirt Day was created to honour, remember, and recognize all the victims and families of the fatal Humboldt Broncos crash in 2018, and to continue Logan’s Boulet's legacy by inspiring Canadians to talk to their families and register as organ donors. Logan Boulet saved 6 lives with his decision to become an organ donor just a couple weeks before devastatingly succumbing to his injuries.

To learn more about how you can get involved on April 7th, click here!



PKD warrior, Martha Stella, receives her second kidney transplant in the very hospital she works in as a nurse!

Read more about Martha's journey with PKD, here.
Support


We hope you will join us for a virtual social hour!

The PKD Foundation of Canada has a number of upcoming virtual social hours in March and April! We'd like to use this time to introduce new faces and catch up with seasoned members. Visit endpkd.ca/socialhour2022 for full details and to register for a social hour near you!



Please take our short survey below to provide us with your preferences regarding future educational webinars! If you are living with PKD or are a family member, caregiver or friend of someone living with PKD, then this survey is for you! 

Start Survey
Do you have an old car taking up space on your property? Working on our behalf, Donate-a-Car Canada will accept your vehicle for donation -- running, or not! Old or new!

Donate-a-Car Canada will facilitate all aspects of your car donation from the pick up to the final sale, ensuring that your vehicle will be sold for the highest sale outcome possible. They will then forward the net proceeds on to us here at PKD Foundation of Canada and we will send you a tax receipt!

Visit endpkd.ca/donate_a_car to find out more about our partnership with Donate-A-Car!



The PKD Foundation of Canada chapters and the volunteers who lead them are the backbone of the polycystic kidney disease (PKD) community, driving vital programs around the world. They are made up of groups of volunteers – PKD patients, family members and friends just like you!

We are looking for volunteers for 2022! If you are interested, please email us at [email protected].


Polycystic kidney disease (PKD) is one of the world’s most common, life-threatening genetic diseases. Your stories can help people paint a more powerful picture of PKD and the lives it affects.

Help give a voice to a widely unknown disease by sharing your story here.

You can read some of our Voices of PKD here!