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Register today for our annual Gift of Life dinner & auction!

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Our annual Gift of Life dinner and auction is next month! We’re heading back to Tulalip Resort Casino on Sept. 16, 2023 to raise much-needed funds for our kidney patients—and we hope you’ll join us!

The event, hosted by the PSKC Foundation and the Kidney Auxiliary of Puget Sound (KAPS), is a chance for members of our community to gather, hear inspirational stories from our patients and staff, and raise money for the vital care and education services we provide.

Proceeds from the Gift of Life event make a huge difference in supporting quality care at PSKC by providing:

  • KAPS patient bags and blankets for new patients
  • Nutritional supplements to help patients maintain a healthy balanced diet
  • Kidney health education in our community, teaching people about kidney disease and ways to prevent it
  • KAPS support of patient comfort and emergent needs
  • Equipment and furnishings to support quality care environments

We simply couldn’t put this event on without our amazing sponsors, gracious table hosts, generous donors, and incredible volunteers.

Thanks to all who made our 2022 event a success (see photos below!) and register online today for our 2023 Gift of Life dinner and auction–you won’t want to miss it!

How to Protect Your Kidneys This Summer

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An incredible 33% of adult Americans are at risk of developing kidney disease which, when it reaches stage five (also called end-stage renal disease), requires regular dialysis treatments or a kidney transplant for survival.

The good news is, there is a lot you can do to prevent kidney disease from developing in the first place. Most of these lifestyle changes are especially doable in the summer, when the days are longer and it’s easier to spend time outdoors.

Here are our top five ways to protect your kidneys this summer:

1. Cook at home. Eating at home is one of the best ways to ensure you’re eating kidney-healthy food. While restaurant and some fast food establishments may seem healthy, most meals out are packed with salt—not good for the kidneys. If you cook at home, you can control the amount of sodium you consume (aim for 2,000mg or less a day) and thus keep your kidneys healthy. Remember, it’s not the salt shaker that’s usually the problem—it’s pre-packaged, processed, and restaurant foods that are loaded with salt, with many meals exceeding the entire daily sodium limit. Cook at home and flavor foods with spices and herbs instead of salt.

 

2. Exercise every day. Exercise is so important for kidney health. Even a little bit every day will make a big difference in your health and how you feel. If you haven’t exercised regularly, make sure to build up slowly. Start by walking,  stretching or lifting light weights. Gardening or taking an online yoga class are also great ways to work exercise into your daily routine. Make it a social outing as well by inviting friends over to walk around your neighborhood, or join a tennis or pickleball club. It’s never too late to learn a new sport! Working exercise into your day helps boost your mood and keep your kidneys healthy.

 

3. Stop smoking. Smoking can lead to many health problems, including chronic kidney disease. Smoking causes damage to your heart and blood vessels, which in turn leads to decreased blood flow to the kidneys. If this happens over time, it could cause irreversible damage to your kidneys. Quitting can be challenging but there are a number of resources available that can help. Help keep your kidneys healthy—talk to your doctor to help create a plan to stop smoking.

 

4. Manage blood pressure and diabetes. High blood pressure and diabetes are the two leading causes of chronic kidney disease. Controlling your blood pressure and managing your blood sugar are key to keeping your kidneys healthy. Keeping your blood pressure in the range set by your doctor, and keeping your blood sugar levels in your target range as much as possible, can help prevent damage to the kidneys.Talk to your doctor to make sure your diet and lifestyle choices and/or medication is helping you do this.

 

5. Reduce stress. Stress has a huge impact on our lives and our health. Research shows that spending time with people in the community helps lower stress, as does exercising, getting enough sleep, practicing breathing and meditation, and laughing. Lower your stress levels by spending time outside, joining a community group, spending time with family and friends, and focusing on living life in the moment.

 

That’s it—our five tips for promoting kidney health this summer. How do you plan to keep your kidneys healthy this summer? What lifestyle tips do you have? Let us know on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter!

 

 

March is National Kidney Month! See five ways to help keep your kidneys healthy

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It’s National Kidney Month, a time to raise awareness of kidney disease and how to prevent it. The kidneys are such important organs, filtering your blood, removing waste and helping your body maintain a balanced state. They help you balance electrolytes, maintain a normal pH level, control blood pressure, produce red blood cells, and maintain healthy bones.

High blood pressure and diabetes are the leading causes of kidney failure. If your kidneys fail, you need regular dialysis treatments or a kidney transplant to survive.

The good news is, simple lifestyle changes can help prevent kidney disease or slow it down. Here are our top five ways to keep your kidneys healthy:

1. Get tested. Ask your doctor for simple urine and blood tests to check your kidney function. Blood tests will give you your GFR, a number that shows how well your kidneys are working. Work with your doctor to get your kidney function checked on a regular basis.

 

2. Control your blood pressure. High blood pressure causes damage to your kidneys. Get your blood pressure checked regularly and work with your doctor on ways to control it. This is vital to keeping your kidneys healthy.

 

3. Manage your blood sugars. Diabetes is a leading cause of kidney failure. If you have diabetes, control your blood sugars to help prevent your kidney function from declining. Managing blood sugars also helps prevent heart disease and other health problems.

 

4. Follow a low-sodium diet. Eating a healthy diet can help keep your kidneys healthy. Too much salt in particular can cause damage. Aim for less than 2,000 milligrams of sodium each day. Avoid fast food and restaurant meals, as many are loaded with salt. Try instead to cook at home from scratch using herbs and spices for flavor instead of salt.

 

5. Exercise regularly. Time to get moving! Exercise can help you control your blood pressure, feel more energetic, and improve your mental health. Work with your doctor to create an exercise plan that works for you. At least 30 minutes of exercise each day is recommended, but keep in mind this can be spread out across the entire day.

 

Keeping your kidneys healthy, or slowing kidney disease down, can help you avoid or delay the need for dialysis. Work with your doctor on the five tips above to create a health plan that works for you. And make sure to follow us on on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter for more tips on how to keep your kidneys healthy!

Meet Meg Paulson: overcoming adversity from the day she was born

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Born with spina bifida and unable to walk, Meg has always faced challenges. When she started school, she was bussed to a special campus miles from her home and it wasn’t until the Education for All Handicapped Children Act of 1975 that she attended the neighborhood school. But even at her local school she was essentially warehoused in special ed programs that didn’t challenge her intellect, as they assumed her cognitive abilities were below average. But when she moved, age 10, to Australia—where children with disabilities were taught alongside “healthy children”— she was finally treated like everyone else.

She eventually moved back to the US, ending up in the Seattle area. After she graduated, finding a job was difficult, as climbing stairs to interview for jobs was not possible. But did this stop her? Absolutely not! Today Meg works for Able Environments, an organization dedicated to linking real estate buyers with mobility, sight, cognitive, or hearing impairments to accessible homes and amenities. Additionally, Meg has been a strong advocate for her community, serving as Miss Wheelchair Washington State in 2008, and has been actively involved with Paralympics and adaptive sports. She’s also served as executive director of the Spina Bifida Association, which prepares families who are new to spina bifida for the challenges that lay ahead by offering support and outreach.

Five years ago, Meg started dialysis and was challenged to balance her diet and fluids while also trying to feel good at the end of the day. She initially struggled with extra fluid weight but now realizes changes in her diet are what keep her feeling good. Meg says the most important way to keep fluid off is carefully planning what you eat and balancing salt intake as much as possible. She has been able to keep her dry weight consistent over the past five years, and attributes this success to keeping her water intake to a minimum. She loves to eat, but good food choices can make the difference, so she strongly advocates reading labels and encourages patients to work closely with available resources, including their dietitian, to devise a plan that works best for them.

When out advocating in the community, Meg says she usually receives three different responses: she’s either ignored, patronized, or accepted. She says people are still learning how to respond or react to people with disabilities, and that’s why educating and being an advocate is important and are major goals in her life.

Thank you, Meg, for all you do to build greater understanding and stronger communities!

How one patient’s love of sports impacts the health of his community

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Top to bottom: Jon today, Jon circa 1983, and Jon with his family.

Meet Jon. M—Jon dialyzes at our Smokey Point Kidney Center and has been coaching basketball, football and baseball since he was 16 years old. At age 4, Jon was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes. He credits his love of sports and his participation in sports for making such a difference in his health.

“I know I am still alive because I ran so much playing basketball,” he says.

Jon has lived his entire life in the Tulalip area and still has a hand in coaching the Tulalip Men’s baseball team, even travelling with them recently for a tournament. Players on the team range in age from 17 to 55 and while his son is “officially” their coach, Jon provides input whenever and wherever needed.

He also stays active by attending local games whenever he gets a chance—he recently went to see the Seattle Storm and the Seattle Mariners, and has also gone to see the Everett Silvertips and Aquasox, despite his busy dialysis schedule.

Jon’s coaching experience started when he was the assistant to the Parks and Recreation Department of the Tulalip Tribes—he had a knack for getting kids into sports, even if they were hesitant at first.

“At one point I had 50 kids show up, and I got every one of them involved in some way.”

Jon stopped actively playing when he was in his late thirties and made coaching his focus—he’s since coached basketball, football and baseball teams, proud that they’ve played some of the best teams in the area and even if they did not win, they always kept it close and competitive.

Jon’s impressed with the Tulalip Tribe’s focus in recent years on building new venues for sports, like baseball and football fields with Astroturf, a step up from the muddy fields where Jon played growing up. Jon also has another interest; his 10-year-old grandson has just started playing basketball. The legacy continues!

A passion for supporting patients: volunteers go above and beyond

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When Jeanette Revoir was looking to volunteer for a community organization, a friend invited her to the annual spring social put on by the Kidney Auxiliary of Puget Sound. She remembers taking a flyer at the event to learn more about the organization that raises money to help patients at Puget Sound Kidney Centers. 16 years later, her everlasting dedication continues to make a positive difference in the lives of PSKC patients.

Jeanette Revoir and Michael Himple.

“Being a member of KAPS and supporting patients needing kidney dialysis at PSKC has been a very rewarding life experience for me,” says Jeanette.

Jeanette and her family have been a part of the community here for years. Her parents immigrated from Holland to Everett, where Jeanette was born and raised. Her parents owned and operated a well-known bakery called Broadway Bakery and the family built a wonderful life together in Everett. That sense of community stayed with Jeanette as she raised a family, built a banking career and volunteered with KAPS. Jeanette joined the board of KAPS and currently serves as Treasurer. Over the years she has led and supported the KAPS’ wreath program, spring social and the Gift of Life annual fundraiser. She even recruited her granddaughter Trinity to help with the wreath program.

“I guess you could say I jumped in with both feet!” she jokingly reflects, and when asked what keeps her going, she says, “knowing I’m really helping people.”

In addition to working with KAPS, Jeanette, along with husband Michael, share a love for family, friends, travel and golf.

Thank you, Jeanette, for all you do in support of PSKC patients!

A dedication to helping others

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Kidney failure did not come as a surprise for Richard Beach; almost 25 years ago, he was told that his kidneys had begun deteriorating and that one day, he might need treatment. He closely monitored his creatinine levels and was able to put that off for many years.

About two years ago, to learn more about kidney disease and how to live well with it, Richard and his wife attended Puget Sound Kidney Centers’ chronic kidney disease education program, Survive and Thrive. He describes this six-week program as “very concise” and a great way to reteach them how to menu plan, shop, and prepare foods that were tailored to their health needs and, helpfully, how to “cut corners with salt.” Richard really appreciated the PSKC program, taught by various medical professionals, especially the level of detail provided and the amount of time allotted for discussion each week—talking through examples and experiences other patients have had really helped reinforce the impact changing behaviors can have.

Richard is currently retired from the Air Force and a phone company but continues to volunteer his time as a critical member of the Snohomish County Emergency Management team, developing and implementing radio communication for natural disasters, including earthquakes, fires, floods. The team prepares for any situation that communication may be compromised (i.e. loss of internet) so that emergency services can continue to operate and provide help to those who need it. They also look at ways of linking with other networks on the state and federal level, so that key information regarding events can be handled appropriately. He is part of a core group of volunteers who, up until the coronavirus pandemic, were meeting twice a week at Paine Field in Everett. They now still meet once a week but hope to ramp back up in the near future.

These days, Richard dialyzes at Puget Sound Kidney Centers’ Mountlake Terrace facility, having started a couple of months ago, and is feeling better already. Richard, we certainly hope we won’t need your radio skills, though we’re sure glad that you and your team are there in an emergency!

Watch that salt! Five tips for keeping your sodium to a minimum

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There is one primary change we can all make to help keep our kidneys healthy and that is to cut the salt! A diet high in salt makes it harder for kidneys to remove toxins and excess fluid and when those build up in your body, your blood pressure increases. High blood pressure is a leading cause of chronic kidney disease. To help manage your blood pressure, your daily goal should be to consume less than 2,000 milligrams of sodium — your doctor may recommend even less. The good news is, there are many ways to keep salt to a minimum in your diet – and you don’t have to sacrifice taste one bit.

Five tips for keeping salt out of your diet

  1. Cook at home from scratch. Restaurant meals are often laden with salt. One of the best ways to lower your salt intake is to cook at home using fresh, unprocessed ingredients.
  2. Drain canned goods. Canned goods can make cooking easier but to preserve those foods, salt is added. Drain and rinse beans and other canned foods to remove added salt.
  3. Throw out packaged seasonings. It’s easy to add seasoning packs to foods without even thinking. But more often than not, these spice packs are loaded with salt. Instead, mix up your own spices to season meat or vegetables. We’ll even help get you started – try our American Favorite Spice Blend on meat, fish or in soups.
  4. Read the label. Before you purchase any foods from the grocery store, take a look at the nutrition label. Compare nutrition labels of similar products to find the one lowest in sodium.
  5. Keep a journal. It’s hard to keep track of the sodium you’re eating. One way to help monitor the salt in your diet is to write it down. After every meal, jot down the sodium you just consumed. This will help you see how much sodium you eat each day, and identify meals that are high and low in sodium — making it easier to meal plan the next time you go to the store.

Whether you have chronic kidney disease or not, paying attention to what you eat can have an enormous impact on your health. Talk to your dietitian or doctor to make sure you are following a diet that’s right for you. Stick with it and let us know how it goes! Share your experiences with us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

5 simple exercises you can do anywhere

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It’s a fact – exercising regularly provides so many benefits, especially for your physical and mental health. Most people, no matter your age, weight or existing health issues, feel better after exercise. People living with chronic kidney disease are no exception. But if you’ve never had a regular exercise regime, it’s important to ease into exercise very slowly. Starting out too strong can result in injuries and turn you off exercise, so talk to your doctor about creating an exercise plan that’s right for you.

Benefits of exercise

People that exercise often:

    • Have more enthusiasm and optimism.
    • Find it easier to handle stress and anxiety.
    • Feel stronger and less tired.
    • Sleep better.
    • Experience reduced muscle cramps and joint pain.
    • Have a better appetite and digestion.
    • Have an enhanced mental attitude.

Five exercise activities you can do at home

The good news: you don’t have to sign up for an expensive gym membership to exercise. There are many simple exercise activities that you can do from the comfort of your own home or neighborhood! Here are some of our favorites.

  1. Yoga. Yoga is a fantastic way to stretch muscles you might not even know need stretching. It’s also great for getting rid of stress, focusing on your breathing and being in the moment. There are great beginner yoga videos out there – search online to find one that suits you. There are also many yoga instructors that offer online classes for free or a small fee. Even just 10 minutes of yoga can make you feel more centered and relaxed. If your mobility is limited, search for ‘chair yoga’ – many yoga poses can be modified for limited mobility while sitting in a chair.
  2. Lift weights. Strength training not only builds muscle but it also provides a better range of motion and, if done correctly on a regular basis, can reduce the likelihood of injury. It’s also a great activity because it can be done anywhere. Start light – even a can of food in each hand will do.
  3. Garden. Here’s a win-win – gardening! Not only will you have some beautiful flower beds or vegetables at the end, you’ll get a workout in as well. Pulling weeds and planting seeds is a great way to use arm and back muscles. Just make sure not to overdo it – it’s easy to overextend yourself. Build up to longer stints in the garden over time. And make sure to invest in some kneeling pads – a great added comfort when weeding on your knees.
  4. Walking. Taking a walk allows you to not only get in some exercise but also breathe in some fresh air and be out in nature. If there are trails nearby, then head to the woods; if not, even a short few laps around your neighborhood offers you the chance to stretch your legs and get in a bit of cardio. Play a podcast or some tunes if you’re heading out solo, or get to know your neighbors by asking them to join you.
  5. Zumba®. For those who love to crank up the tunes while they workout, look no further than a Zumba® class! There are plenty of classes for free using Zoom so there’s no need to even leave your home. Zumba® is a great way to learn different styles of dance and get a workout in at the same time. It’s fun, lively and a great way to work up a sweat.

Remember, talk to your doctor to make sure you’re choosing activities that are right for you. Stick with it and you’ll likely start to feel the benefits of exercise after just a few sessions. Let us know how it goes! Share your experiences with us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

April is National Donate Life Month: help spread the word about organ donation

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All month, we’re helping raise awareness of organ donation and the power it has to literally change a life. National Donate Life Month is a great time to register as an organ, eye and tissue donor and to celebrate the power that donation has on so many families in need. This year’s theme is centered around a springtime garden and how its ecosystem of plants, insects and other components work together – similar to how we can all work together to register as organ donors and raise awareness of the importance of organ donation.

Register as an organ donor

Registering to be a donor is simple – just visit RegisterMe.org, fill out the form provided and let your friends and family know about your wishes to donate your organs when you pass away.

Consider becoming a living donor

More than 100,000 people in the United States alone are on the transplant list, waiting for an organ transplant from a deceased donor. Most of the people on the list are waiting for a kidney. The good news is, most of us were born with two! If people waiting for either a kidney and or liver transplant find a living kidney donor, they usually get a better quality organ much sooner. If you’re interested in learning more about becoming a living donor, visit www.donatelifenw.org.

Help advocate for organ donation

What can you do now to support organ donation? Help us spread the word about it during National Donate Life Month! Check out Donate Life America’s infographic below and share these facts with your friends and family to raise awareness about the need for organ donation. And you can take part in the conversation about organ donation this month – join us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

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