National Kidney Foundation- Maryland and Delaware

11/20/2025

In just TWO weeks - NKF Renal Roundtable in Delaware!
4-Part IgAN Experience: An Immersive, Interactive Dinner Program
📅 Thursday, December 4, 2025
🕕 6:00–9:00 PM ET
📍 Harry’s Savoy Grill – 2020 Naaman’s Road, Wilmington, DE 19810

We are honored to welcome Dr. Kartik Kalra, Assistant Professor of Medicine at the Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine and Associate Program Director of the Nephrology Fellowship Program at Geisinger Medical Center, as our featured speaker. Dr. Kalra will guide attendees through an in-depth look at IgA Nephropathy using immersive tools including the Apple Vision Pro, an IgAN patient journey simulator, B-cell modulation insights, and interactive NephU learning stations.

Join us for an evening where innovation meets education, hosted in partnership with , as we continue to empower clinicians and enhance care for kidney patients everywhere.
Reserve your spot today at https://bit.ly/OtsukaRRTDE

11/19/2025

Kidney Community Spotlight ✨

Celebrities are raising their voices and our community is turning awareness into action. Jesse Eisenberg’s choice to donate his kidney to a stranger and the stories shared by Nick Mangold and Nate Robinson remind us that kidney disease can impact anyone. Together, we can bring visibility, encourage screening, and support patients and families across Maryland and Delaware.

Your voice matters. Your story matters. Our community matters.

Read celebrity kidney disease stories from Jesse Eisenberg, Nick Mangold, and Nate Robinson.

11/18/2025

JUST in 2 weeks! 🎉
On December 2, your generosity will have twice the impact. A group of donors will match every dollar up to forty thousand dollars, helping us deliver lifesaving research, trusted education, and strong advocacy for the patients who count on us.

11/17/2025

NKF RRT Recap!
This past Thursday, our Renal Roundtable (RRT) brought together a warm and engaged group of kidney health professionals for an evening of learning, conversation, and connection. More than 30 nephrologists and transplant specialists joined us at Ruth’s Chris to explore how cell free DNA is transforming the way we understand and monitor transplant health.

We were grateful to welcome Dr. Sanjeev Kumar Akkina, who flew in to lead the discussion and share meaningful insights that resonated throughout the room. His presentation sparked thoughtful questions and sparked conversations that continued well past the session.

A special thank you to Natera for sponsoring the event and for their continued partnership in bringing high-quality education to our renal community!

11/16/2025

Plant-based eating is a great way to support kidney health, and fall is the perfect season to try it out. From cozy bowls to sweet spiced desserts, these five recipes are quick, healthy, and tasty.

11/15/2025

Did you know about World Diabetes Day?
A global moment when countries everywhere come together to raise awareness about diabetes and its impact on health. Diabetes affects every community, every culture, and every nation. The need for early detection and prevention is shared across the entire world. Kidney disease often develops silently with no early warning signs. High blood sugar and high blood pressure can slowly damage the kidneys. Simple blood and urine tests can detect issues early and healthy habits like managing A1C, eating balanced meals, and staying active support kidney health. Together, we join the world in shining a light on diabetes and create hope for a healthier future!

Learn more at kidney.org/diabetes.

11/14/2025

Happy National Philanthropy Day!

We are celebrating your kindness, compassion, and commitment to our mission. Your support makes life brighter for kidney patients and families across Maryland and Delaware. Today, we pause to reflect on all the wonderful things we have achieved this year because of our Kidney Community, and the care you show each year. Together we have achieved a plethora of accomplishments:

-11,800 people participated in Kidney Walks raising $300,000
-22 Corporate Walk Teams raised over $80,000
-600 MDDE callers were assisted through our NKF Care’s program
-$30,000 Local Team Kidney members through DIY campaigns and partnership events at the Ballers Golf Tournament and the Angler Restaurant
-150+ healthcare professionals received continuing education through Symposium, Council on Renal Nutrition Conference and Online Courses
-1200 Care packages were delivered to Maryland and Delaware patients through the Drive For Dialysis program
-500+ constituent signed letter letters of support for Living Donor Protection Act, which was passed both in Maryland and Delaware
-100+ patients and family members attended the BIG ASK:BIG GIVE program accessing tools and training to help them navigate living donation
-$75,000 Dollars were awarded for research projects

None of this could have happened without YOU and YOUR support!

Thank you,

Your MDDE Team

11/13/2025

This Giving Tuesday, December 2, every dollar you give will be matched up to $40,000 by a generous group of donors. That means your gift will go twice as far to bring lifesaving research, education, and advocacy to patients who need it most.

11/13/2025

11/12/2025

NKF Renal Roundtable in Delaware!
4-Part IgAN Experience: An Immersive, Interactive Dinner Program
📅 Thursday, December 4, 2025
🕕 6:00–9:00 PM ET
📍 Harry’s Savoy Grill – 2020 Naaman’s Road, Wilmington, DE 19810

We are honored to welcome Dr. Kartik Kalra, Assistant Professor of Medicine at the Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine and Associate Program Director of the Nephrology Fellowship Program at Geisinger Medical Center, as our featured speaker. Dr. Kalra will guide attendees through an in-depth look at IgA Nephropathy using immersive tools including the Apple Vision Pro, an IgAN patient journey simulator, B-cell modulation insights, and interactive NephU learning stations.

Join us for an evening where innovation meets education, hosted in partnership with , as we continue to empower clinicians and enhance care for kidney patients everywhere.

Reserve your spot today at https://bit.ly/OtsukaRRTDE

11/11/2025

Kidney Community Spotlight - Veterans Day Edition

Today, we pause to honor and thank all those who have served our country with courage and dedication. Your sacrifice has preserved the freedoms we cherish, and for that, we are deeply grateful. Yet for many Veterans, the fight continues. The average wait for a kidney from a deceased donor is 3–5 years, sometimes longer, and Veterans are dying while waiting.

For Veteran R Wiley from Ocean City, Maryland, the battle didn’t end when he came home. A Navy Gulf War Era Veteran, Sam dedicated his life to helping others as a Navy Corpsman, serving on the front lines of care at Bethesda National Naval Medical Center and Naval Hospital Roosevelt Roads in Puerto Rico. After his service, Sam continued giving back as general manager of The American Legion Post 166 Ocean City, Maryland where he built connection and community for fellow Veterans. In recent years Sam has faced a new battle with Stage 4 Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD). Despite undergoing daily dialysis, he remains hopeful and active, volunteering with Toys for Tots, participating in the National Kidney Foundation Kidney Walk, and using his voice to raise awareness about the need for living kidney donors.

Organizations like Transplant are helping Veterans like Sam find hope through living kidney donation. DOVE works to find, educate, and support prospective donors, connecting them with Veterans and their families to create life-saving matches. They guide donors through the entire process to ensure they receive full support and never face financial burden along the way. For medically cleared donors, giving the gift of life through living kidney donation has been proven to be very safe. DOVE assists all prospective donors throughout the process and ensures they do not incur any out-of-pocket expenses related to the evaluation or surgery. A healthy person can live a normal life with one kidney and save Sam’s life with the other.

Your support, whether by sharing Sam’s story or exploring the possibility of becoming a living donor, can bring hope and healing to Sam and to countless Veterans still waiting for their second chance at life. Learn how you can support Sam and help give Veterans the gift of more tomorrows by navigating to https://dovetransplant.org/samuel-wiley/

11/10/2025

THIS THURSDAY - NKF Renal Roundtable!
Cell Free DNA: Redefining Care for the Modern Transplant Patient
📅 Thursday, November 13, 2025
🕕 6:00–9:00 PM ET
📍 Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse – 711 Eastern Avenue, Baltimore, MD

We are honored to welcome Dr. Sanjeev Kumar Akkina, Transplant Nephrologist and Professor of Medicine at Loyola University Medical Center, as our featured speaker. Dr. Akkina completed his Internal Medicine residency at Hennepin County Medical Center and nephrology fellowship at the University of Minnesota. His ongoing research focuses on biomarker discovery in kidney transplant recipients, with special attention to donor-derived cell-free DNA (ddcfDNA) as a tool for improving post-transplant outcomes.

Join us for an evening where education meets collaboration, hosted in partnership with Natera, as we continue to advance the standard of care for kidney patients everywhere!

Reserve your seat today at https://tinyurl.com/2s47b48k