fevers after one dose and completely stopped them after the second.
Two months after she was discharged, doctors tried a risky treatment hoping to improve her kidney function to no success. “The treatment failed and I was now confronted with the reality that my kidney disease wasn’t temporary, it was for life,” Moore shares.
Moore is currently under the care of a renal consultant. She has regular tests to monitor drops in her kidney function. The good news is, that she’s been able to maintain enough function to avoid dialysis and a transplant.
She is also running the “Diary of a Kidney Warrior” podcast, which she started in 2020 to reach out to other patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD).
“I want to take somebody from that point of getting the diagnosis to being empowered with the knowledge that they need to thrive with the disease,” she says.
She hopes that fellow kidney warriors will understand that kidney disease doesn’t have to be a death sentence.
“I want to share the message with kidney patients across the world that kidney disease is not just a death sentence, you can live a full life. You might have to do things differently. But you can live a full life,” she notes. “It’s now 2022 and I’m not on dialysis, so I’m proof that it’s possible. There is hope.”
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Kidney disease in the Black community
These are the 5 main risk factors of kidney disease:
- Diabetes (you or your family)
- High blood pressure (you or your family)
- Heart disease (you or your family)
- Family history of kidney failure, diabetes, or high blood pressure
- Obesity
Your race can also play a role in your risk of developing kidney disease. According to research, people from Black, Asian, and other minority ethnic backgrounds are five times more likely to require dialysis than white patients due to how prevalent diabetes and high blood pressure are in these communities. As noted above, both diabetes and high blood pressure are known risk factors for chronic kidney disease CKD.
Other important risk factors for kidney disease include:
- Age 60 or older
- Low birth weight
- Prolonged use of NSAIDs, a type of painkiller, such as ibuprofen and naproxen
- Lupus, other autoimmune disorders
- Chronic urinary tract infections
- Kidney stones
Knowing if you are at risk for kidney disease is the first and most important step you can take toward leading a healthier life.
To learn your risk, take this Kidney Risk Quiz and find out if you are at risk for developing kidney disease.