The television drama ER has been delivering excellent stories around death and dying as well as the misadventures of the walking wounded for fifteen years now. After a long break, I have returned to faithfully follow it’s final season and it has not disappointed. The plot and multiple story lines of ER are quite complex and unfold over weeks so serendipity was probably the cause for last night’s episode to deal with the topic of kidney disease and kidney transplants on World Kidney Day. As I discussed in Wednesday’s post, the purpose of World Kidney Day is to increase awareness. The aim is to prevent chronic kidney disease by encouraging people to make choices that support healthy kidneys and get appropriate screening test for kidney function when necessary.

more about “The Story of a Kidney“, posted with vodpod

Yet, here at enBloom, we try to foster a culture of information that will empower the choices you make regarding your health and medical decisions. In an earlier post (Valentine’s Day/National Donor Day), I brought the importance of organ donation to your attention. In this ER episode, a family member struggles to come to a decision regarding organ donation. In my continuous quest to advocate for your autonomy as a patient. I encourage you to talk often and openly with your loved ones about your decision to be an organ donor. These are agonizing decisions for loved ones to make especially in the midst of grieving. Moreover, often the best candidates for organ donation were young, healthy, in-the-prime-of their-lives but just happen to roll into the ER on the heels of some traumatic and tragic event. By communicating and documenting your end-of-life decisions, you remove a great burden from the shoulders of your loved ones.

Enjoy this compelling episode of ER which so aptly illustrates all the emotions and the drama of life in kidney failure and organ donation.

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Tomorrow, March 12 is World Kidney Day. Last month we discussed how heart disease is the leading cause of death for American women. Unfortunately, too few Americans realize that chronic kidney disease is another life-threatening illness that often goes undetected until it reaches very advanced stages. Two common conditions that can lead to or exacerbate chronic kidney disease are high blood pressure and diabetes. Take some time on World Kidney Day to learn more about what your kidneys do for you and what you can do for your kidneys (to keep them healthy). Also, don’t forget as we focus on nutrition this month that both high blood pressure and type II diabetes can be significantly controlled, if not alleviated with the right type of diet and regular moderate to intense physical activity (consult your doctor for specific recommendations).

Learn More:

Take these 6 Steps for protecting your kidneys and your health.

10 Facts about Diabetes and Kidney Disease

10 Facts about High Blood Pressure and Kidney Disease

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