Episode Details

When You Grow Up With Kidney Disease:

Mike and Tamara are joined by two kidney disease advocates who are also mother and daughter: Amelia Rowniewski and Wanda Kietlinski. They talk about the mental health impacts of growing up with kidney disease (like Amelia did) and raising a child with kidney disease (like Wanda did). Wanda shares how their life was turned upside down when Amelia was just 3 years old and what seemed like a cold turned out to be a strain of pneumonia that ultimately led to hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) and kidney failure. She talks about how her faith and support system helped them through watching their daughter go from being a healthy toddler to receiving dialysis and needing a kidney transplant. 

Amelia tells us how little she remembers of the experience and how she has navigated the transition from being a pediatric patient to an adult patient, taking charge of her own health with encouragement from her mom. Wanda advises other parents to practice self-care and to “bend with the wind” as much as they can, while Amelia encourages other children living with kidney disease to find their identity outside of their illness and find activities that help them get out of their heads on days that are particularly difficult.

More resources:

• Mental health and kidney disease 
• Kidney disease in children  
• Hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) 
• Acute kidney injury (AKI) 
• Kidney transplant in children: Preparing, types, surgery and life after 
• Join our Advocacy Network 
• Ambassador spotlight: Amelia Rowniewski 
• Spreading the word about organ donation at American University and beyond