The Kidney Collective

American Kidney Fund

A podcast that gives voice to the many facets of living with kidney disease. Learn more at kidneyfund.org/podcast.

  1. S2E5: "This is My Second Life", PKD with Tamara Walker

    2d ago

    S2E5: "This is My Second Life", PKD with Tamara Walker

    Tamara Walker joins our co-hosts, Tamara Ruggiero and Mike Spigler, for a conversation about polycystic kidney disease (PKD), a genetic condition that causes many cysts to grow inside your kidneys and can lead to kidney failure. Tamara shares how she was surprisingly diagnosed by her OBGYN after giving birth to her second son, the challenges she experienced with insurance coverage and how PKD factored into the difficult decision of moving from Virginia to Georgia. They also talk about how Tamara has become one of the most active patient advocates, becoming an AKF Ambassador and Kidney Health Coach, speaking at AKF’s Unknown Causes of Kidney Disease Summit and earning one of AKF’s first-ever Ambassador Community Engagement grants—all of which earned her the 2025 Hero of Hope award.  Tamara gives the audience advice on navigating PKD, dealing with dismissive doctors and getting involved in kidney disease advocacy. She also explains how she feels she was given “a second life,” and she is going to make the most of it educating others about kidney disease.  More Resources: Polycystic kidney disease Kidney cancer AKF Ambassador network Become a Kidney Health Coach Genetic testing and counseling for kidney disease Insurance and costs for dialysis PKD Foundation

    31 min
  2. S2E4: "Our Voices Need to Be Heard", IgAN with Malkia White

    May 12

    S2E4: "Our Voices Need to Be Heard", IgAN with Malkia White

    Malkia White, an AKF Ambassador and member of AKF's Rare Kidney Disease Action Network (RKDAN), joins this episode of The Kidney Collective™ to talk with our co-hosts Tamara Ruggiero and Mike Spigler about her journey living with IgA nephropathy (IgAN). Malkia shares how she was diagnosed with "Berger's disease" (what IgAN was previously called) as a child but did not understand her disease until adulthood. After learning she was in kidney failure, she did extensive research on the subject and became a vocal advocate for herself and others. She explains how her strong will to live and to fight to survive helped her persevere through the challenges of dialysis and waiting for a kidney transplant. She also tells Tamara and Mike how she started her social media campaign #ThatGirlNeedsAKidney while leaning on her village through it all, including family, friends and members of the rare kidney disease community. She emphasizes that "this illness has no face or look to it," and someone may look like the "picture of health" when they are struggling.   More Resources: 'A Step Ahead of IgA Nephropathy' 'We go through a lot': Life with a rare kidney disease Kidney donation and transplant Life after transplant: Rejection prevention and healthy tips  Kidney health research and innovations Mental health and kidney disease Rare Kidney Disease Action Network Unknown Causes of Kidney Disease Project IgA Nephropathy Foundation

    28 min
  3. S2E3: "I'm Not Just Here for Basketball", AMKD with Alonzo Mourning

    Apr 28

    S2E3: "I'm Not Just Here for Basketball", AMKD with Alonzo Mourning

    In honor of APOL1-Mediated Kidney Disease (AMKD) Awareness Day, this special episode of The Kidney Collective™ features a conversation between AKF President and CEO LaVarne A. Burton and Basketball Hall-of-Famer Alonzo Mourning. After they discuss the Miami Heat’s impressive showing on March 10, the two discuss his journey with kidney disease. They talk about how he pushed through symptoms to win a gold medal and Olympic Basketball Player of the Year at the Summer Olympics in Syndey, Australia; how his strong family ties led to a second cousin donating his kidney to Alonzo; and how the relationship of trust he built with his nephrologist led to him participating in a study that ultimately found the connection between APOL1 gene variants and kidney disease like his. Alonzo emphasizes how he believes the struggles he has gone through with kidney disease showed him he was “not just here for basketball” and gave him the amazing opportunity to help others through service and education. LaVarne and Alonzo discuss his work on the Power Forward campaign with Vertex Pharmaceuticals, and how he wants to encourage others facing kidney disease not to blame themselves, but to be proactive in their health journeys.   This episode is sponsored by Vertex Pharmaceuticals, Inc.  More resources: AMKD Awareness Day APOL1-Mediated Kidney Disease APOL1 genetic counselor guide Focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS)

    29 min
  4. S2E2: "You're Not Alone", CAKUT with Vincent Ko

    Apr 14

    S2E2: "You're Not Alone", CAKUT with Vincent Ko

    The Kidney Collective™ co-hosts Tamara Ruggiero and Mike Spigler are joined by Vincent Ko, founder of KidneyFuture (formerly the CAKUT Foundation), to discuss congenital abnormalities of the kidneys and urinary tract (CAKUT). As a parent of a child living with CAKUT, Vincent shares how he felt learning about his daughter's diagnosis before she was even born and how he has used his personal experiences to create KidneyFuture.  The three discuss how CAKUT differs from other types of kidney diseases and the unique challenges people living with CAKUT face, including navigating the transition from being a pediatric kidney patient to an adult patient. Vincent also shares how he discovered the two greatest desires of pediatric nephrologists and of CAKUT patients/parents are aligned: (1) a better understanding of whose CAKUT progresses and whose doesn't and (2) more therapies that are safe and effective for children living with CAKUT. He also explains to Tamara and Mike how the kidney community may not be too far off from those goals. More resources:  Congenital Abnormalities of the Kidneys and Urinary Tract (CAKUT) Caring for someone with kidney disease Kidney disease in children Camp ConnectionsKidney Kitchen® Genetic testing and counseling for kidney disease

    22 min
  5. S2E1: "I Found the Bright Lights and the Silver Linings", with Donna Cryer

    Mar 31

    S2E1: "I Found the Bright Lights and the Silver Linings", with Donna Cryer

    AKF President and CEO LaVarne Burton kicks off the first episode of The Kidney Collective™'s new season, "Rare Voices, Relatable Stories," with a conversation with Donna Cryer, founder of the Global Liver Institute, a global nonprofit patient advocacy organization. Donna lives with a rare autoimmune liver disease, received a liver transplant more than 30 years ago and has stage 3 chronic kidney disease (CKD). Donna and LaVarne discuss the ways that liver and kidney health are connected and how Donna's difficulty getting an accurate diagnosis is reflective of many people living with a rare disease — especially if they are people of color. Donna also describes how her faith, positivity and perseverance through the years have allowed her to be a fierce patient advocate, to doggedly pursue her career aspirations and to navigate the transition to being labeled "patient" with grace and humor — even if it means taking advantage of your jaundice to create an unforgettable Halloween costume. Donna and LaVarne also discuss ways that Donna believes the U.S. transplant system needs to change and how Donna's connections to the kidney community helped prepare her to manage her CKD.   Donna has recently stepped back as CEO of the Global Liver Institute and just moved with her husband to Pennsylvania to be closer to family.   More resources: Rare Kidney Disease Action NetworkRare kidney diseases: Understanding, support and solutionsGlobal Liver InstituteJoin our Advocacy NetworkUnknown Causes of Kidney Disease ProjectNewly diagnosed chronic kidney disease (CKD)Guide: Talking about your rare kidney diseaseGuide: Your Guide to Kidney Transplant

    34 min

  6. Mar 27

    Season 2 Teaser: An Introduction to Rare Voices, Relatable Stories

    Our second season of The Kidney Collective™ features conversations about rare kidney diseases and the shared experiences that connect the entire kidney community. Watch the teaser for a sneak preview of what’s ahead in 2026!

    5 min
  7. S1E7: I Wish Others Knew About Being a Living Kidney Donor, with Marnisha Mintlow

    11/12/2025

    S1E7: I Wish Others Knew About Being a Living Kidney Donor, with Marnisha Mintlow

    In this episode of The Kidney Collective™, Tamara and Mike chat with living kidney donor Marnisha Mintlow about her decision to donate her kidney, her surgery and recovery, the barriers and fears that may prevent people from becoming donors, and the importance of more transparency around the kidney donation process. Marnisha emphasizes the need for more support and advocacy for living donor rights and protections, and the significance of finding help and a found family within the kidney community. Marnisha is a Marine Corps veteran and a current educator living in Santa Clarita, California, who recently graduated with her doctorate in education from the University of Dayton. In 2016, she made the selfless choice to become a living kidney donor. More resources:  Kidney donation and transplantYour Guide to Kidney TransplantTypes of living donor kidney transplantsLiving Donor Protection Report CardFinancial support for living kidney donors

    39 min
  8. S1E6: I Wish I Knew About Transitioning to Home Dialysis, with Leigh-Ann Williams

    10/29/2025

    S1E6: I Wish I Knew About Transitioning to Home Dialysis, with Leigh-Ann Williams

    In this episode of The Kidney Collective™, Tamara and Mike talk with Leigh-Ann Williams about her dialysis journey—from in-center to home dialysis. They discuss the benefits of home dialysis, including the more flexible schedule, shorter treatment times and reduced fluid restrictions compared to in-center dialysis. Leigh-Ann also describes some of the challenges of home dialysis, from space for supplies to learning to navigate the many alarms, but encourages others considering it to not be intimidated. The three dive into how Leigh-Ann crashed into dialysis but eventually came to understand her diagnosis of focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS), lupus and APOL-1-mediated kidney disease (AMKD). Despite her kidneys failing at such a young age, Leigh-Ann has not allowed dialysis to slow her down! She has earned two masters degrees and traveled as far as Hawaii and the Bahamas and hopes to fulfill her goal of going on a cruise soon—all while receiving dialysis treatments. Leigh-Ann Williams is an AKF Ambassador and Kidney Health Coach from New Orleans who lives with kidney failure and is on home dialysis. She is an active advocate for the kidney community and was honored for her great work as the 2021 AKF Hero of Hope. More resources: Home dialysisDialysis at Home 2025Acute kidney injuryChoosing a hemodialysis treatment planFocal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS)APOL1-mediated kidney diseaseUnknown Causes of Kidney Disease (UCKD) ProjectLupusGenetic testing

    33 min
See All (14)

Trailer

Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
10 Ratings

About

A podcast that gives voice to the many facets of living with kidney disease. Learn more at kidneyfund.org/podcast.

Information

  • Creator
    American Kidney Fund
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    14
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 The Kidney Collective
  • Show Website
    The Kidney Collective

You Might Also Like