From Recurrence to Recovery: A Transplant Patient's Perspective.

Abstract

As I reach the end of my time as an undergraduate student, I often reflect on my journey as a patient, how it has shaped me, and how it will hopefully shape my career. When I was 3 years old, I was diagnosed with idiopathic nephrotic syndrome and, although it took almost a decade, it progressed to FSGS and eventually ESKD. As these conditions worsened, I went through the whole gamut of treatments in hopes of some kind of recovery: steroid treatment, immunosuppressive therapy, both hemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis, and—finally—kidney transplant. Thankfully, my mother was compatible as a living donor and I am now blessed to live a healthy, mostly normal life. Now, as I move forward into the next stage of my life, I also know that I will never stop being a patient, because maintaining my health is just as involved as is becoming healthy. In my perspective, there are many difficulties and obstacles that need to be overcome in nephrology, ranging from the lack of definitive therapeutic options for many CKDs all the way to the inefficiency of dialysis—the most prevalent treatment for patients with renal disease of any origin. Furthermore, many diseases that cause kidney failure are still idiopathic, making the identification of new therapeutic options even more difficult. Despite these difficulties, I am hopeful for a better future. This year, I had the opportunity to attend the American Society of Nephrology (ASN) Kidney Week 2019 as a STARS (students and residents) awardee with my laboratory at the University of Miami’s Katz Family Division of Nephrology (Figure 1). After this incredible experience, it is clear …