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S3E2: "We Were Learning It As We Were Living It", with Kelly Harris-DeBerry and Naomi DeBerry
Description
When Your Loved One Has Kidney Failure:
Tamara and Mike are joined on this episode by a mother-daughter duo: Kelly Harris-DeBerry and Naomi DeBerry. Kelly’s husband and Naomi’s father, Jarvis, was diagnosed with kidney failure and began doing home dialysis treatments in 2019. In February 2020, he received a new kidney from a living donor. In this episode, we talk with Kelly and Naomi about the impact of Jarvis’s kidney disease journey on their lives. Kelly shares how she and Jarvis navigated his focal segmental glomerulosclerosis diagnosis when they were still newlyweds; the challenges they faced deciding when and how much to share with others, including their daughter; and the stress and isolation she felt before she allowed herself to lean on her community. Naomi also explains how she didn’t necessarily understand what her dad was going through, but that she could sense the fear and stress when he began at home dialysis when she was six years old. Kelly and Naomi share how Disney World® became “the happiest place on Earth” in a different way when Jarvis learned he would get a new kidney on their trip, and how Naomi was inspired by their family’s journey to write a book, “My Daddy Needs a Gift.” They also tell the hosts about Naomi’s love for LEGO builds and ambitions to become a transplant surgeon.
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