A 2012 blood test told Bob McKenzie that his kidneys were not functioning properly.
By 2015, he was a regular dialysis patient at Northumberland Hills Hospital.
Now a kidney transplant recipient and Transplant Ambassador with the Ontario Renal Network, McKenzie is keen to give back to the network that supported him – and one way to do so will be his visit to NHH from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on March 12, World Kidney Day to share his story and highlight the prevalence of chronic kidney disease and its risks, the importance of education, and awareness of the benefits of live organ donation.
An NHH dialysis patient for three years, McKenzie realizes his good fortune in being eligible for a transplant, being matched with a donor and having a successful surgery.
“It's truly an honour to be part of the same hospital's Transplant Ambassador program today,” McKenzie said in the NHH press release.
“On this World Kidney Day, I look forward to sharing my story with others and, perhaps, helping other families with their own chronic kidney disease journey.”
McKenzie's information booth will be set up beside the Main Street Bistro at the hospital, and you'll know him by his bright-green Transplant Ambassador Program vest. He will be accompanied by fellow TAP Ambassador Debbie Bennett, a living kidney donor.
When Bennett's son's kidneys began to fail, she immediately offered to donate one of her own. After the testing to determine the two were compatible, she was declared a viable kidney donor. Bennett and her son underwent donor and recipient surgeries in 2013, and both are doing well today.
The TAP program was launched in June 2017 to help build awareness of (and reduce barriers to) living kidney transplantation. It is a grass-roots patient-led initiative supported by the CanSOLVE-CKD Network in partnership with the Ontario Renal Network and Trillium Gift of Life Network.
The program's goal is to connect current kidney disease patients and their family members with those who have donated a kidney or are living with a transplant, and ambassadors are volunteers who are either kidney donors or recipients.
TAP volunteers are currently on-site in 13 Ontario hospitals, including NHH's dialysis unit and the clinic, a 12-station satellite service of the regional dialysis program based at Peterborough Regional Health Centre.
In addition to McKenzie and Bennett, PRHC Renal Nurse Navigator Krista Morgan will be on-site with a blood-pressure monitoring table during the World Kidney Day event.
World Kidney Day is a global campaign that takes place the second Thursday each March, aimed at raising awareness of the importance of our kidneys to overall health, as well as reducing the frequency and impact of kidney disease and its associated health problems. This year's theme is Kidney Health For Everyone Everywhere – From Prevention to Detection and Equitable Access To Care.
Chronic kidney disease is a non-communicable disease affecting one in 10 people worldwide. By 2040, it is projected to become the fifth-leading cause of premature death globally. Clinical preventive interventions include early check-ups, blood-pressure and glycemic control, and management of co-morbidities such as cardiovascular disease.
For more details on the interdisciplinary dialysis services available at NHH, including the team's outreach Pre-Dialysis and Nephrology Clinic for those with reduced kidney function, visit www.nhh.ca/Patients/PatientCareServices/OutpatientCare/Dialysis.
