The establishment of the Kidney Society in 1980 was a patient and family initiative, building on the mutual support patients and families provided for each other in their social club called "Kidney Kapers". Today this wish to support each other is still as strong as ever. Much of it is done informally as people meet in clinics and dialysis units, but in addition the Kidney Society helps bring people together in various ways and across the region.
We have a small team of volunteers, kidney patients themselves, who visit kidney wards and some of the dialysis units around Auckland. There is something very reassuring to be visited by a fellow patient who can tell you how, once, he or she was the new patient in the bed, or the person with a new kidney transplant.
Amongst the over 1300 patients and family members who are part of the Kidney Society, there are bound to be several whose background, interests and personality would make them just the right people for you to talk to. But how to find these people?
Our Kidney Society staff are experts in putting like minded people in touch with each other.
If you would like to meet, or talk to someone yourself, or if you want to make yourself available as a contact for others, just call the Kidney Society.
If you would like to know who you should be asking for, click here to meet our staff.
We run a series of educational group talks throughout the year, including several in Whangarei/Northland. These are perfect opportunities for patients and family members to meet and share experiences. For instance, at our meeting for living kidney donors, we always invite people who have donated a kidney to a relative or friend as well as people thinking about doing that.
To find out about our group events, click here.
These are just some of the ways in which you can connect with fellow patients and family members through the Kidney Society. Click here for some ideas about getting involved in our work.