NKF’s Commitment
The Cross Bearers Motorcycle Ministry, Inc. has partnered with National Kidney Foundation because NKF’s commitment is to make a tangible difference in the lives of ALL kidney patients. They envision a future where optimal kidney health is attainable for ALL patients, regardless of race, ethnicity, gender, sexual identity, and socio-economic status.
Their Mission Statement
The National Kidney Foundation is revolutionizing the fight to save lives by eliminating preventable kidney disease, accelerating innovation for the dignity of the patient experience, and dismantling structural inequities in kidney care, dialysis, and transplantation.
What is Kidney Disease
The kidneys are two bean-shaped organs. Each kidney is about the size of a fist. Your kidneys filter extra water and wastes out of your blood and make urine. Kidney disease means your kidneys are damaged and can’t filter blood the way they should.
You are at greater risk for kidney disease if you have diabetes or high blood pressure. If you experience kidney failure, treatments include kidney transplant or dialysis. Other kidney problems include acute kidney injury, kidney cysts, kidney stones, and kidney infections.
Kidney Disease Statistics for the United States
Chronic kidney disease (CKD) affects more than 1 in 7 U.S. adults—an estimated 37 million Americans.1 For Americans with diabetes or high blood pressure—the two most common causes of kidney disease—the risk for CKD is even greater. Nearly 1 in 3 people with diabetes and 1 in 5 people with high blood pressure have kidney disease.1 Other risk factors for developing kidney disease include heart disease and a family history of kidney failure.
Despite the prevalence of kidney disease in the United States, as many as 9 in 10 adults who have CKD are not aware they have the disease.1 Early-stage kidney disease usually has no symptoms, and many people don’t know they have CKD until it is very advanced. Kidney disease often gets worse over time and may lead to kidney failure and other health problems, such as stroke or heart attack. Fact is 37 million people have chronic kidney disease, 660,000 people live with kidney failure and 100,000 people are waiting for a kidney transplant. Approximately 2 in 1,000 Americans are living with end-stage kidney disease (ESKD)—kidney failure that is treated with a kidney transplant or dialysis.
The Silent Epidemic that Derails Lives
Kidney disease is a top 10 leading cause of death in the U.S., but it’s an illness with no warning signs and low awareness. Far too many people know nothing about kidney disease — until it’s too late.
When people are concerned about their risk or receive a kidney disease diagnosis, the NKF is one of the first places they turn. We consider it our obligation to provide the best tools and information to help people reduce their risk of getting kidney disease and enable those with the disease to live longer, healthier lives.
Kidney Patients Face Glaring Health Disparities
Black Americans are 4 times more likely to develop kidney failure. Hispanic Americans are 2.3 times more likely than non-Hispanics to develop kidney failure, and Native Americans are 1.9 times more likely than white Americans to develop kidney failure.
National Kidney Foundation is 1 of U.S. nonprofits to have received Charity Navigator’s highest 4-star rating.
The NKF is ranked in the top 1% of socially responsible brands and meets the standards of the Wise Giving Alliance of the Better Business Bureau where 80% of every dollar raised goes directly to programs and services. Also, the Charity Navigator’s score is 95%, earning it a Four-Star rating.
Taking Race Out of the Kidney Transplant Equation
The National Kidney Foundation believes using race and ethnicity in clinical calculations harms patients and perpetuates racism in kidney care. Join us in our mission to advance health equity in organ donation and kidney transplantation by signing our petition calling on the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (OPTN) to remove ethnicity from the KDRI immediately.