March 23, 2023
Living with kidney disease, especially during the later stages, can be challenging, but you are not alone. We hope that these quotes from people who have lived with kidney disease, undergone dialysis, or received kidney transplants will remind you that hope, strength, and perseverance can be found even in the hardest of times and inspire you to keep moving forward.
10 inspiring quotes
1. Anthony Reed, former dialysis patient and kidney transplant recipient
“Learn upfront to budget (fluid for hemodialysis) and learn that if you mess up once, then that's a lesson, not a failure. That's with anything in life. If you learn from it, then it's a lesson and you go on and move on.”
2. Natasha Kelly, lupus patient and transplant recipient
"People kept asking me how I managed to do both since dialysis is like having a full-time job and I was so tired all the time. I felt like I had to create some type of normalcy for myself. I never saw dialysis as a death sentence. It was an opportunity for me to continue having some quality of life. It wasn't perfect but I did my best to make the most of it.”
3. Mario Silva, chronic glomerulonephritis patient and transplant recipient
“I hope I can be the person I needed back then. That's the biggest thing I could take away from this journey–helping others. It was rough on me, but there were a lot of lessons that I learned along the way.”
4. Melissa Bensouda, Voices for Kidney Health Advocate and dialysis patient
"When I was first diagnosed, I thought I had five years to live. Twenty years later, I feel like I'm thriving. It's not easy. I get tired often and have to hook up to a machine every other night, but I still find joy in life. I've gotten so much better doing dialysis. It allows me to work full-time and spend time with my children. That's what's important."
5. Manusca Benony, IgA Nephropathy patient and Peers Mentee
“This disease has forced me to change, to talk with people about my challenges, and advocate for myself. You can't suffer in silence when you need other people's help. I've adopted the mindset that kidney disease doesn’t have to stop everything. It's one more thing we integrate into life so it’s not intrusive."
6. Dawn Edwards, home dialysis recipient with CKD-aP and Voices for Kidney Health Advocate
“Whether you have itching (CKD-aP) or you're in pain, it's something that you should talk to your care team about. That's very important and it's a part of staying healthy. Talk to your doctors if you're having problems. Be open, honest, and don't give up. If they haven't addressed your problem, go back and ask them again. Don't stop asking until you receive some type of resolution."
7. Valen Keefer, polycystic kidney disease (PKD) patient and double transplant recipient
“Kidney disease and post-transplant patients can live a joyful, productive and fulfilling life. Healing is not linear and at times can be a long process. Be kind to yourself through it all. Mental wellness, self-love, and acceptance is so important."
8. Nate Robinson, NBA Star and kidney failure patient
“I choose happiness. We only get one life to live. My gift to the world and myself was keeping my inner child and staying young. My whole life has been overcoming obstacles. This is something else that I’m going to overcome.”
9. Melanie Litt, focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS) and peritoneal dialysis patient
“For anyone dealing with an illness or another difficult situation, positivity is the key to getting through it. To me, being able to go to work and live a life that is as normal as possible is wonderful because it’s something I really didn’t think I would get to do. There’s always something to be thankful for.”
10. Maria Madak, IgA Nephropathy patient and transplant recipient
"For anyone who has kidney disease, especially the young ones, I know it is scary to have kidney disease, be on dialysis, and have a transplant but have hope. Be alert, eat right, take your medications, and be persistent with your lab and doctor visits."
NKF resources
Now, it’s time to take that inspiration and turn it into action. Here are six resources designed to help you learn about your stage of kidney disease and support you along your kidney journey.
- NKF Peers: Peer mentoring program, where kidney patients are connected via phone with trained mentors who have been there themselves.
- NKF Online Communities: Safe space for patients and caregivers to share experiences, ask questions, and get answers to kidney health, kidney disease, and transplantation.
- Kidney Learning Center: Provides support on many topics, including kidney disease, dialysis, and transplantation. New modules are added regularly.
- Kidney Pathways: Delivers interactive education that uses an online kidney health assessment tool to provide a curated learning pathway for people at any stage of kidney disease.
- NKF Cares: Speak with a trained professional and get answers to all your kidney disease-related questions.
- Voices for Kidney Health: Meet other advocates and fight for kidney disease awareness, better policies, and new treatments.
Share your kidney story
Your story could be the one that gives someone else with kidney disease hope. Share it here.
