The American Kidney Fund is looking for artwork made by kids and teens who have kidney disease to include in its 2009 calendar. In addition to having their art published, 13 winners of this national contest will receive an all-expenses-paid weekend trip to Washington, DC, for themselves and a parent or guardian.
Anyone under the age of 18 who is living with kidney disease in the United States can submit a drawing or painting to the contest before the deadline, which is April 30. The weekend trip for winners will take place September 12–14 and will include a tour of the city and an awards dinner.
You can read more about the contest, download an entry form, and find out where to send entries at www.kidneyfund.org. Entry forms are also available at most dialysis and transplant centers, and you can contact Janis Contreras at (800) 638-8299, extension 5053, with any questions.
The American Kidney Fund is a nonprofit organization that provides financial assistance to people who are on dialysis or are kidney transplant recipients or donors and need help paying their medical bills. It also educates the public about preventing and treating kidney disease and supports medical research.
Diabetic kidney disease, or nephropathy, is a complication of diabetes that ultimately leads to kidney failure in almost one-third of people with Type 1 diabetes. According to the National Diabetes Education Program (NDEP) and the American Diabetes Association’s Standards of Medical Care in Diabetes—2008, people age 10 and older who have had Type 1 diabetes for at least five years should be screened each year for microalbuminuria, and all people with Type 2 diabetes should be screened each year starting at diagnosis. Microalbuminuria is the appearance of small amounts of the protein albumin in the urine, and it signals the start of diabetic nephropathy.
For more information about preventing and treating kidney disease in people with Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes, check out our article “Protecting Your Kidneys.”
