Meet Tom.

Our personal experiences are providing answers and comfort to patients and their caregivers.

My name is Tom and my relationship with kidney disease began when I was in college and a long-distance runner…about 40 years ago. I was diagnosed with high blood pleasure and Hematuria, and like most 20-something males, it went in one ear and right out the other…until I met my wife. She decided to come to a nephrologist appointment and that single event changed my relationship with kidney disease forever. She and my doctor talked and when they finished, he told me that he would never again see me without her. She set me on a kidney healthy course, but I had waited too long and soon we were a year out for a transplant.

My younger brother donated a perfect kidney and 18 months later, with my wife’s guidance and support, I am back to health. The year prior to the transplant, as well as the year after, were a blur of medical appointments, diet adjustments, getting used to a life-sustaining meds routine, questions, questions, questions. ReMend is allowing us mentors to answer the questions that patients have regarding the disease, transplants and what to expect before and after. Our personal experiences are providing answers and comfort to patients and their caregivers. I am exceedingly thankful for my wife’s love and support, and I thank ReMend for providing this opportunity.