Last week, to kick off National Kidney Month, American Kidney Fund (AKF) patient-advocates from around the country came to Washington to educate their elected officials about the financial challenges kidney patients experience, and to urge lawmakers to put an end to discriminatory practices among some health insurers. READ MORE >>

A diagnosis of kidney disease often comes as a shock, but you don’t have to face it alone. Our Facebook community includes thousands of people who are living with kidney disease or kidney failure. We recently asked what advice they would give someone who is newly diagnosed. READ MORE >>

Julie Lippke and her daughter Alexandra, an eighth-grader, are taking on the challenge of hiking Hadrian’s Wall in northern England during Alexandra’s spring break this month. They are doing it to test their own limits—and to honor Alexandra’s grandfather Jerry Lippke, who has been living with kidney failure for over five years. READ MORE >>

Anytime we hear about someone who suffers from a chronic disease, it’s easy to use the disease as a label to describe the person: “There's so and so, she has cancer,” or “He’s a diabetic.” Everyone is guilty of doing this at one time or another, and I have noticed that many doctors unknowingly make this mistake, too. READ MORE >>

Kidney disease and kidney failure affect African-Americans more than any other race or ethnicity. Nearly 1 in 3 of Americans with kidney failure is African-American. Learn more about this silent killer from our infographic. The good news: most cases of kidney disease could be prevented by controlling diabetes and high blood pressure, the two leading causes of kidney disease. READ MORE >>

Whenever the Fort Wayne (Indiana) Komets professional hockey team took to the ice in December, they played to win—both to improve their standing in the ECHL league and to raise money to help kidney patients across the country. READ MORE >>

We reached thousands of people at risk for kidney disease at our Kidney Action Days in 2015. This short highlight reel is a look back at our 2015 Kidney Action Days. READ MORE >>

Special thanks to Woodward Elementary School in St. Louis. Students there kicked off a Service Learning Project by giving students and teachers the opportunity to wear a hat to school for $1. They raised $101 on hat day and will be collecting change for three weeks to donate to the American Kidney Fund to help patients in need. READ MORE >>