December 2017 PKD e-News
Welcome to the PKD Foundation of Canada's December e-News! Here you will find information important to helping you take action in your journey with PKD.
SUPPORT
There's Still Time to Make Your Year-End Charitable Gift
Season's greetings to you and yours! With 2017 drawing to a close, we hope you will consider making your year-end holiday gift to advance Canadian research, advocacy and support for more PKD patients and their loved ones. Your financial support of the PKD Foundation of Canada helps children like Taylum and his family:
"Having a child with PKD can be a very isolating experience. Our journey into parenthood was vastly different from that of our friends, so having the PKD Foundation of Canada by our side has meant that we know for certain we are not alone.
It is inspiring and empowering to know that we aren't the only family fighting this battle, but that we are part of a united front with a shared mission to END PKD!"- Desiree Lamoureux, Taylum's mom and PKD advocate.
Kidneys Deserve a Google Doodle!
What is a Google Doodle? They are the fun, surprising, and sometimes spontaneous changes that are made to the Google logo to celebrate holidays, anniversaries, and the lives of famous artists, pioneers, and scientists.
World Kidney Day has organized a campaign to bring awareness to kidney health by asking Google to create a kidney inspired doodle. You can show your support via social media by visiting their campaign page. Follow along on social media using hashtags #KidneyDoodle and #endPKD!
AWARENESS
Voices of PKD: Submit Your Story
In last month's newsletter, we introduced Voices of PKD, a collection of stories, testimonies and photos that tell the story of PKD through the eyes of the PKD community. By sharing your own journey, you can help give a voice to a widely unknown disease and help others know they are not alone.
Voices of PKD: Cheri Barton
"I am 49 years old and I was diagnosed with PKD after our youngest of 3 children was born. I had never heard of PKD before my diagnosis. My parents don’t have it so I mutated the gene. When our girls got older, we had them tested by ultrasounds and it was discovered that both our daughters have PKD. Our son is 17 and he hasn’t been tested yet..."
Our Most Popular Videos From 2017
Did you happen to see these two videos on our social media channels this year? Be sure to follow us on our Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube pages for additional PKD-centric content from the Foundation. While you're at it, we'd love for your to share our pages and posts with your friends and family to help us reach more people!
Do you find it difficult explaining PKD to others? Share the above video and check out endpkd.ca/learn to learn more.
Meet 26-year-old Elyse Gawley from Vancouver, BC. PKD has rippled through her family and she has seen the devastating impact it can have. But she doesn’t let it stop her from living her life.
Stay Up to Date through our Media and News Section
Looking for additional information and insights from the PKD Foundation of Canada? Find our past newsletters, exciting announcements and interesting blog posts all in one place! Visit endpkd.ca and click on Media & News in the top bar.
BLOG: PKD Will Not Beat Me - A Positive Heart
In the face of a new diagnosis, Valen shares how she remembers the events that day and how she is managing her emotions going forward:
"There are certain days in our lives that will never be forgotten, either by choice or because the significance of them are burned into our memories. For me, Oct. 12 was one of those days. I was at California Pacific Medical Center in San Francisco getting an endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatogram (ERCP) performed. A tube with a camera was passed down my throat and dye was injected to highlight my bile ducts to try to find the mystery cause of my three sepsis episodes over the past year."
PKD Will Not Beat Me is an inspirational place for those seeking a positive environment to meet others with polycystic kidney disease (PKD) - to share stories, to ask questions and to make life-long friendships, encouraging each other to live positively along the way! PKD Will Not Beat Me is written by PKD patient and transplant recipient Valen Keefer.
LEARN
Study: Popular Heartburn Drugs Could Lead to Kidney Damage
A new study suggests that popular heartburn medications taken by millions of Canadians could lead to long-term kidney damage without any warning.
The drugs, called proton pump inhibitors (PPIs), reduce the symptoms of heartburn by lowering the amount of acid in the stomach. They include the brand names Losec, Nexium, and Prevacid.
Kidney problems remain rare in those taking PPIs, and the study does not prove causation. Read the full article here, which contains the link to the study.
Ten Songs to Help You Manage Stress Over the Holidays
Neuroscientists out of the UK have specified the top 10 songs found to be the most relaxing. The top song was constructed in collaboration with sound therapists and resulted in reduced anxiety in participants of the study. Check out the full article, which contains links to the list of ten songs on YouTube and Spotify.
PKD Health Notes: Immunity-Boosting Foods
The winter season brings much to look forward to: holidays, time with family, snow. What’s not nearly as fun? Getting sick.
Scientists have found that when someone is sick within your same vicinity (home or office for example), it takes only 4 hours for surfaces like the refrigerator door, toilet handle, door handles, TV remote, copy machine, etc. to show traces of the infectious virus.
Some scientists also claim that what we eat may influence how well our immune systems are able to fight off the common cold and flu. Check out the list of nutrient-rich flu-fighters in this article to help ward off sickness this season.
Subscribe to our monthly PKD e-News!