Tackling Chronic Disease with Medication and Unwavering Hope: Geeta Moreau’s Journey March 8, 2019 by Kylie Karley Geeta Moreau first went into kidney failure in 2005—an extremely tough situation to handle for anyone, but especially for an independent and successful woman like herself. Throughout her triumphs and struggles, Geeta has remained true to her core of positivity and optimism. We asked Geeta to share her experiences and inspirational story to help others who may find themselves in similar situations. If there ever was a time to look within for hope and sheer will to live, it’s when I relapsed with Focal Segmental Glomerulosclerosis (FSGS) last summer. It was May 1, 2018, two weeks before Mother’s Day. I feared a relapse may happen considering I was recovering from a divorce and rebuilding a new chapter in me and my son’s life. And there it was fear realized—I thought about who would take care of my son. It was different the first time I went through kidney issues, but one symptom was the same: the edema. The sudden swelling to indicate the something was happening, 30 pounds of edema. I went through stage four kidney failure in September 2005. I lost all independence to care for myself. My lesson to learn and allow loved ones to care for me was humbling and uncomfortable at times. I didn’t know how to handle all the side effects from my various medications. I also didn’t socialize much because I was so acute and didn’t want people to see me sick. I wanted to be remembered a certain way. This time around I’m working hard, taking care of my son and myself, I’m working toward a better life. Although FSGS is not as acute as kidney failure, other factors come to mind: parenting, career, but most of all health. I’m a single mother and want to see my son grow up. I’m continuing to work in my field through my chronic illness, although it is a struggle at certain times. Another thing I encountered was a sudden onset of 30 pounds of edema. The physical weight was also a metaphor for the weight of the stress I was feeling. I had no idea how or what I was going to do, but I knew it was going to be looking forward to things in the future to stay alive. It was survival mode. I had read somewhere that when you’re sick make future plans, it helps the mind to look forward to something and betters your chance for survival. The most cathartic part of this process is I’m starting to share my story in hopes of helping others gain hope and resilience to fight for their own health. It’s difficult to share my personal experience of living with FSGS. I’ve always been a friendly person, but remain fiercely private at the same time. Anything I could do to keep a glimpse of optimism, I do it. Meditation, drawing, practicing guitar and music. My son’s a great reminder of the art of play and playing in the present is such a healer. I’m reminded daily the possibilities of the impossible. I also know how to better manage my own self-care, how to handle the side effects from the medications, but back in 2005 I was in a much more acute state. I went into a full remission in 2007/2008. I was on high doses of prednisone, cyclosporine, and other medications to keep my body systems in check as everything is affected when my kidneys were not functioning correctly. To say it’s difficult physically and mentally is an understatement. Life does have its consequences. The medications that saved my kidneys affected my bones. In 2009, I was diagnosed with avascular necrosis of the hip, bilateral in 2010. Bone death. I walked with a cane for two years. Lived with chronic pain and limited mobility. In 2011, I got married, honeymooned and had hip replacement surgery. Then it was ‘getting my health back’ mode. I wanted to get off the pain medications to try to have a baby. I was hopeful yet realistic. I did get pregnant and had a miscarriage in the 9th week in 2013. Though I had read it was common for that to occur, it was a sad time that I worked through. I kept thinking that my body is receptive to conceiving. Within two months I was pregnant again, and I had a healthy pregnancy. In November 2014, I delivered a beautiful baby boy naturally with a hip replacement. I thought a c-section was inevitable, but my perinatologist advised me to be in good shape, pay attention to my body and well-being. Motherhood is the best thing that ever happened to me; it reminds me every day how life is possible. I did have a ten-year remission after all. These recent days, my kidneys are responding to the medications within nine months. I have not been on dialysis or had a transplant. I’ve always felt fortunate to be able to tackle this chronic disease with medications. Acupuncture helps me tremendously, balancing my mind and body. Optimism has always been in my nature, even before I fell ill. But when I got sick and lost all independence to work and care for myself, optimism became a practice. It was a matter of survival, life or death. My tendency is to look forward. I don’t ask why this chronic condition is happening, rather I channel the energy to eat right, exercise, and work toward gaining kidney health. I do what I can control, and the rest I keep the faith and spirit of positivity close to my heart. It’s not easy, but it’s a will to not only survive, but to thrive. I hope to be in a full remission again. I remain optimistic because I’m grateful to be alive. – Geeta Moreau
NephCure Kidney International Announces Addition of Three New Members to its Scientific Advisory Board March 8, 2019 by Kylie Karley (KING OF PRUSSIA, PA – MARCH 8, 2019) NephCure Kidney International (NephCure) is proud to announce the addition of three new members to its Scientific Advisory Board (SAB). Joining the distinguished SAB are Laura Barisoni, MD; Alessia Fornoni, MD, PhD; and Marva Moxey-Mims, MD. “Our Scientific Advisory Board is made up of leading basic science and translational researchers, all of whom have made great strides in pushing glomerular disease research forward. We are thrilled to welcome Drs. Barisoni, Fornoni and Moxey-Mims to this esteemed group,” Irving Smokler, PhD, Board President of NephCure announced. NephCure’s CEO, Joshua Tarnoff, added, “All three of our newest Scientific Advisory Board members bring diverse expertise and experiences that embody the spirit of our NephCure community. We are very fortunate to welcome them to our team, as 2019 is a pivotal year for clinical research and bringing forward new and effective treatments.” The chairman of NephCure’s SAB, Martin Pollack, MD, also congratulated and welcomed the new members, “We are thrilled to welcome Drs. Fornoni, Barisoni, and Moxey-Mims to the Scientific Advisory Board. All three are outstanding and dedicated physician-investigators who are committed to improving our ability to care for individuals with glomerular disease.” Laura Barisoni, MD Laura Barisoni, MD is currently a Professor of Pathology and Medicine at Duke University Medical School. She is an accomplished diagnostic pathologist and an internationally recognized expert in the field of digital nephropathology and the use of digital image recognition as a diagnostic tool, particularly for glomerular diseases. Dr. Barisoni is the current President of the Renal Pathology Society, where she previously served for four years on the Board of Directors. Actively involved in NIH-sponsored grants on podocytopathies and clinical trials on Nephrotic Syndrome and Fabry’s disease, Dr. Barisoni also has remarkable teaching experience at numerous national and international courses in renal pathology. Alessia Fornoni, MD, PhD Alessia Fornoni, MD, PhD is a tenured Professor of Medicine and Molecular and Cellular Pharmacology at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine. She is also the Chief of the Katz Family Division of Nephrology and Hypertension and serves as Director and Chair of the Peggy and Harold Katz Drug Discovery Center. Dr. Fornoni’s lab was the first to report an important role of sphingolipids and cholesterol in the modulation of podocyte function in focal segmental glomerulosclerosis. Her internationally recognized research findings, which are now being translated into humans with novel therapeutic applications, have challenged existing paradigms. Dr. Fornoni’s vision is one that brings industry, investors and not-for-profit organizations around the table with the intent to match science with innovation and patients’ motivation to find a cure for kidney diseases. Marva Moxey-Mims, MD Marva Moxey-Mims, MD is a Professor of Pediatrics at the George Washington School of Medicine and the Chief of the Division of Nephrology at Children’s National Health System in Washington, DC, where her focus is on clinical research to improve the care of children with kidney disease. She was most recently at the National Institute of Diabetes, and Digestive, and Kidney Diseases at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, MD, where she served as deputy director for clinical science in the Division of Kidney, Urologic and Hematologic Diseases. Two of the studies Dr. Moxey-Mims initiated are the ongoing Chronic Kidney Disease in Children (CKiD) study, the largest study of pediatric chronic kidney disease ever conducted in North America, and the Randomized Intervention for Children with Vesicoureteral Reflux (RIVUR) trial, the primary results of which were published in the New England Journal of Medicine. NephCure Kidney International’s Scientific Advisory Board includes: Gerald Appel, MD, PhD Daniel C. Cattran, MD Friedhelm Hildebrandt, MD Lawrence B. Holzman, MD Frederick Kaskel, MD, PhD Jeffrey B. Kopp, MD Matthias Kretzler, MD Peter Mundel, MD Martin R. Pollak, MD Jochen Reiser, MD, PhD Andrey S. Shaw, MD Karl Tryggvason, MD, PhD Roger Wiggins, MB, BChir *Michelle P. Winn, MD Posthumous Emeritus NephCure Kidney International’s mission is to accelerate research for effective treatments for rare forms of Nephrotic Syndrome, and to provide education and support that will improve the lives of those affected by these protein-spilling kidney diseases. Specifically, NephCure is focused on glomerular diseases such as: FSGS, IgA Nephropathy, Minimal Change Disease, Membranous Nephropathy, C3 Glomerulopathy, and Membranoproliferative Glomerulonephritis. NephCure is headquartered in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania. For more information about the organization, visit NephCure.org or call 1-866-637-4287.