Teens Come Together to Take Charge of Their Health

On Friday, June 6, 2014, a luncheon/meet-up designed just for teens and ‘tweens and their families was held at Nemours/A. I. duPont Hospital in Wilmington, Delaware. It was the first joint venture between NephCure and Dr. Joshua “J.J.” Zaritsky, Nemours Pediatric Nephrologist. The idea for this educational and fun-filled event came from 14-year-old Samantha Buck of Logan Township, NJ. Sam previously attended a Lunch & Learn event (Community Café) and stated, “When can we have a meeting like this for kids my age?” Dr. Zaritsky’s staff along with NCF Department of Education/Engagement Director, Lauren Lee and Patient Engagement Specialist, Sandie Rollins worked to make Samantha’s wish come true. The teens were also invited to join a brand new Facebook group launched for young adults from 13-25, which will be available to join the week of June 9, 2014.  The group is called Kidney Strong and it is a supportive community for teenagers and young adults who have FSGS and Nephrotic Syndrome.

It was a beautiful day and much of the event was held outdoors in an enclosed courtyard with a flowing fountain. The educational portion of the day included: the newCommunity programs sponsored by NephCure for patient families, information/explanation of patient-powered registry, the NephCure Kidney Network (presented by Abbey Swan, NephCure Operations and Grant Administrator), Healthy Eating tips presented by Nemours Registered Dietician, Megan O’Neill, and a parents-only session on Coping with Chronic Illness presented by Nemours’ Social Worker, Jessa Lewis.

The teen/ ‘tween fun and recreational events included a Quizzo tournament, arts and crafts, Make-A-Friend Bingo plenty of laughs and some great NephCure and Nemours SWAG as a parting gift. In the end, everyone left with a new sense of community, and a commitment to finding better treatment options and a cure for FSGS and Nephrotic Syndrome.