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Megan's Story

The diagnosis has brought our family closer together, and my mom knows she’s not alone.
After a fulfilling career as a teacher and principal my mom, Margaret, was happily settling into retirement. However, a routine follow-up with her doctor resulted in a diagnosis of kidney disease. As the shock settled in, so did the exhaustion that comes from kidney failure. Initially diagnosed with 24% kidney function, she has 7% function remaining and is beginning the training for home peritoneal dialysis. 

The diagnosis has brought our family closer together, and my mom knows she’s not alone. She is a very positive person, a constant go-getter and tries not to let her diagnosis get her down. Her six grandchildren are her biggest motivator.

Our family has seen the effects kidney disease has had on her life. Recognizing the way that she has always supported our family, I decided to lead the family to show our support to her by joining in this year’s Kidney Walk in Winnipeg.

We collected pledges and were so shocked as more donations kept coming in.  It really speaks volumes to the type of person my mom is; it is a testament to how people admire her and want to support her, we were all blown away. 

This was the first time our family participated in the Kidney Walk and we quickly became the 2020 Winnipeg Kidney Walk highest individual fundraisers, raising over $8,500 in just 16 days prior to the Walk event. 

We can’t be with her in the hospital and we can’t feel her feelings. We can’t feel her pain, fatigue, or weakness. But we can come together and walk for her. We can raise funds and show her she’s not alone. This is how we can support her. 

If I could give one piece of advice to anyone else living with kidney disease it would be: lean into the support you are given, whether it be from medical staff, friends, family, or organizations like The Kidney Foundation. Lean into it and together we can get through it.