Wednesday, October 3, 2012

Bright Lights, Big Kidney

Ladies and germs, little Cheyenne and I have officially made the Big Time.

About a month ago I received an out-of-the-blue email from the National Kidney Foundation – not just a state chapter, if you please, but the honest-to-renal, based-in-New-York, National Kidney Foundation headquarters. Folks there had read my piece in the Huffington Post, which led them to this dear ol' JK blog, which led them to invite me to contribute an article to their "Staying Healthy" blog.

(Imagine face filled with warm glow of pride and humility here.)

As it so happened, I had just returned from the annual American Association of Kidney Patients (AAKP) convention in Atlanta. And while I hadn't gotten around to writing about the event for Just Kidneying (what a sloth I am), I came home from Hot'lanta with at least one moment worth sharing.

While the Foundation wouldn't let me mention the AAKP by name or initials (professional rivalry, I'm betting), they would let me share my observations. You can read them right here, on the NKF "Staying Healthy" blog site.

Needless to say, I am so honored to be asked to write on a worldwide forum to help fellow kidney patients. Deep thanks to Ellie Schlam and all the fine staffers at the National Kidney Foundation.

In other news, the NKF is launching a new quarterly lifestyle magazine targeted to people on dialysis. The free publication, entitled "Kidney Living," will be distributed  beginning in November. You can sign up online at www.kidney.org/kidneyliving to receive it.

And guess which freelance writer will be stepping up and waving his hand furiously to write for this new magazine? 

Once again, the concept of kidney failure as potential revenue stream emerges. Life is so weird.