Meet Dennis.

I have been able to “live” life.

Hello, my name is Dennis Bourque, and I have been a ReMend mentor since its inception in 2013, when ReMend was started along with Balboa Nephrology. Like most of us, I have been through many chapters of Kidney disease over the past 60 years while developing multiple coping techniques.

My early diagnosis of Nephrolithiasis (Chronic kidney stones), along with a diagnosis of Distal renal tubular acidosis provided me with the knowledge about what type of kidney disease I was dealing with and how to move forward.

Along this long journey, I was fortunate to be referred to UT Southwestern Mineral Metabolism in Dallas, where I enrolled in multiple clinical trials with a focus on “Stones and Bones.” I participated in several clinical trials for a new drugs UroCit-K (Potassium Citrate) that finally received FDA clearance and is now available for all patients with a similar diagnosis. It was during this time I also realized I needed to educate myself about my kidney disease and its origins and how both my wife and I were going to cope with this disease and raise a large family at the same time.

Finally, in 2010 I had a preemptive transplant from one of my brothers, who selflessly donated his kidney to me. Over the past 12 years since my transplant, I have been able to “live” life today and enjoy the next phase of my/our life together.

After years of applying what I learned during those times and seeing others being challenged with varying diagnoses, I felt there was more that could be done to help others... a place to receive more education and support from those who have been on the same journey. For those of us who have been through the physical, mental, emotional, and financial challenges of kidney disease, we know that having others who have been there can be an invaluable resource. ReMend mentorship is such a place and is a joy and an honor to be a part of.