Community Magazine July 2016

Get the Facts To truly comprehend the importance of this special organization, it is necessary to understand a bit of human physiology – namely, how our kidneys function inside our bodies. Our kidneys are a pair of organs located at the back of the abdomen. They filter the blood, remove wastes to create urine, adjust the chemical and fluid balance in the body, and help to control blood pressure. Our kidneys are also involved in regulating the effects of vitamin D on the body and in stimulating bone marrow to create new red blood cells. When the kidneys are damaged by disease, some or all of these functions can be impaired, causing one to become very ill. When the kidneys fail to function at all, a person will die without treatment. Even more troubling, kidney ailments are the ninth leading cause of death in the United States. Here’s the growing problem, broken down by the numbers. • More than 661,000 Americans have kidney failure. Of these, 468,000 individuals are on dialysis. • After one year, patients on dialysis have a 20-25% mortality rate, with a five-year mortality rate of 68%. • Kidney failure is increasing in the United States by 5% per year. • The need for donor kidneys in the United States is rising at 8% per year. • Potential kidney donors will often refrain due to ancillary costs (i.e. time off from work, meal prep, babysitting help). The essential antidote for these patients is, of course, a kidney transplant - a surgery done to replace the diseased kidney with a healthy kidney from a donor. But, before the procedure can be done, a kidney has to be secured. According to the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, close to 100,000 Americans are currently waiting for a new kidney. Of these 100,000 people, fewer than 17,000 receive one each year. The staggering amount of sick people in need, coupled with the strict criteria outlining just who gets precedence should a ‘match’ become available, means that many of our Jewish brethren and fellow community members still remain on that waiting list. Assuming he is lucky enough to receive a kidney, a patient will likely wait between five and seven years before a transplant occurs. Heeding the Call After bearing witness to the growing number of Jewish community members on the recipient waiting list, Renewal was created by an extraordinary team of activists. Their mission is perhaps the holiest task one can hope to accomplish – to save lives. The team at Renewal selflessly devote themselves to assisting people suffering from Chronic Kidney Disease, and to educating the PICK ONE. ANY ONE. YOU CAN SAVE A LIFE. LEON SAKKAL 32 COMMUNITY MAGAZINE Help save our little BABY BOY. He has his whole life ahead of him and is in desperate need of a kidney transplant. FATHER OF EIGHT GRANDFATHER OF 22. The patriarch of our family needs a kidney. Who can help us? My LITTLE BROTHER is only 2 years old and has been on dialysis since he was born. He is now healthy enough to get a kidney. Renewal said they will get him one. First it was me and now its my FATHER . Kidney disease runs in our family. Our MOTHER has always taken care of us . Now we need to take care of her . If you have Type B blood you might be the one that can save her. My GRANDMA needs a kidney. I want her to come to my Bar Mitzvah. She has Type O blood. Since 2006, one organization has been dedicated to the preservation of Jewish life. It began nearly ten years ago. Today, they are responsible for saving hundreds of lives within the Jewish community. Called Renewal, they are a nonprofit organization assisting people suffering from various forms of kidney disease.