The Journey Continues: Recent Episodes
National Kidney Foundation of Illinois
The Journey Continues is a podcast committed to promoting kidney health and organ donation through powerful stories. Host Monica Fox is a kidney transplant recipient and Director of Outreach and Government Relations for the National Kidney Foundation of Illinois. This series will feature the journeys of kidney patients, living donors, transplant recipients, donor families and industry experts who continue to educate the community through their own experiences and stories.
For Terry Litchfield, kidney care isn’t just a job – it’s a passion and a hobby! In her 30+ year career – and beyond in retirement - in renal care, she’s helped millions of patients receive better access to care, including her husband Bill who spent 46 years on dialysis.
Emergency room physician Dr. Derek J. Robinson shares the whole-health approach Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois is taking to improve lives across the state – including at the Illinois State Fair.
This episode is generously sponsored by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois.
Kidney failure disrupted Cristie Field's busy work and family life. She started a blog to update her loved ones on her condition and found new ways to connect and ground herself when life veers from the plan.
Follow Cristie’s blog on Facebook @ChronicallyCristie and check out her hand-strung jewelry on Instagram @lucyandlolagems
When LaVerne Bartee happened to learn after 30 years of marriage that she and her husband Kevin had the same blood type, she leapt at the chance to give him the life-saving kidney their family was waiting for.
When Kasey Bergh sent a text message to a wrong number, she had no idea it would lead to her one in a billion chance at love and a kidney transplant.
Follow Kasey’s journey at her website kaseybergh.com or on social media at @kaseybergh
Hop in the passenger seat of the KidneyMobile® as Regina White, CNA, CPT takes us on an auditory tour of these life-saving preventative screenings. Learn more about the KidneyMobile® and find a screening near you at kidneymobile.org
When meteorologist Ed Curran learned his kidneys were failing and he’d need a transplant, he kept his health issues private from his CBS audience. Thanks to another CBS broadcast 4 hours away, his sister Patti Orthwein decided to step up as his living donor.
Follow Ed on social media:
Twitter: @edcurran
Facebook: facebook.com/edcurran
Instagram: instagram.com/edcurran
Follow Patti on Facebook: facebook.com/PattiOrthwein
For those on the transplant waiting list, finding the right transplant center can sometimes be difficult. For veterans, there are even fewer options. Dr. Manpreet Samra and the rest of the transplant team at the Hines VA hospital opened the Kidney Transplant Center just a few short years ago to help provide further access for those who have served
Follow the Hines VA Kidney Transplant Center on Twitter at @VATransplantCHI
Author and advocate Amy S. Peele relies on her sense of humor and experience as a retired transplant nurse to inspire her mystery novels with a cause.
Find Amy’s books at amyspeele.com and follow her on social media at @amyspeeleauthor on Facebook and @amypeele on Instagram.
Pageant contestants are required to speak eloquently on a social cause close to their hearts. For Jessica Tilton, the reigning Miss Quad Cities whose father was waiting for a kidney, there was no question what cause she would choose.
Happily, shortly after this episode was recorded, Jessica’s father got the call and received his life-saving kidney transplant! Follow Jessica on social media @MissQuadCities on Facebook and @MissQuadCities2023 and @jessica_tilton on Instagram.
When Dr. Carlos Becerril-Romero was a little boy, he experienced some scary health issues that informed his future career path and inspired him to help other children just like him.
Host Monica Fox walks us through her painful and often terrifying journey with COVID as a transplant recipient.
Cubs fan Bridgett Kolls went viral when she held up a sign at Wrigley Field that said “this lil Cubbie needs a kidney.” Her life-saving kidney came from an unlikely source – White Sox fan Thomas Alessio.
Cubs fan Bridgett Kolls went viral when she held up a sign at Wrigley Field that said “this lil Cubbie needs a kidney.” Her life-saving kidney came from an unlikely source – White Sox fan Thomas Alessio.
Figuring out what to eat in each stage of kidney disease can be frustrating and confusing. Renal dietitian Kelly Nemec joins Dr. Melissa Prest to talk all things kidney diet – including tips for setting yourself up for a successful transplant.
Figuring out what to eat in each stage of kidney disease can be frustrating and confusing. Renal dietitian Kelly Nemec joins Dr. Melissa Prest to talk all things kidney diet – including tips for setting yourself up for a successful transplant.
Host Monica Fox participated in the 2022 Transplant Games. Between games, she pulled aside a few athletes, donor families, and organizers behind the event to find out why this event is so powerful.
When Lisa Givens received her kidney transplant, it changed her life, allowing her to do things she never thought were possible. Cancer suddenly jeopardized her post-transplant lifestyle and put her back on dialysis. Now she’s waiting for a second gift of life.
When Lisa Givens received her kidney transplant, it changed her life, allowing her to do things she never thought were possible. Cancer suddenly jeopardized her post-transplant lifestyle and put her back on dialysis. Now she’s waiting for a second gift of life.
Robotic surgery may sound like something from a sci-fi movie but for Dr. Enrico Benedetti and his transplant team at UIC Health, it’s a reality. His state-of-the-art facility allows him to perform transplant surgeries on patients who are often considered higher risk.
What do Hall of Famer Harold Baines and Mayor of Willowbrook Frank Trilla have in common – aside from a love of the Chicago White Sox? They’re both transplant recipients and outspoken advocates for organ donation!
Successful dermatologist Dr. Joaquin Brieva knew kidney disease ran in his family but when he learned his own kidneys were failing, it still came as a surprise. Thanks to the encouragement of his wife Jennifer, the couple is relying on one another and their support system while they wait for a life-saving kidney donor.
We’ve had the privilege of telling some really powerful stories on The Journey Continues. We invite you to join us on a walk down memory lane through some of our favorites in this compilation episode.
Listen to the full episodes in your favorite podcast app:
- Connected at the Heart (Emma O’Neal and Pam Walton)
- Making an Impact (Jacqueline Burgess-Bishop)
- Battle of a Lifetime (Daronta Briggs)
- Monica’s Thanksgiving Miracle (Monica and Olivia Fox)
After losing her brother Vernon at a young age, Sheri Shaw couldn’t bear the thought of losing her cousin Vernon to kidney failure… so she took a semester off from college and gave him her kidney.
Follow Sheri on Instagram @sheri__nicole and on Facebook at @shaw.sheri
If you have chronic kidney disease, you could be at risk for developing gout. But what is gout? How does it affect patients? Josie Cooper from the Gout Alliance for Awareness and Jen Gentry, a patient living with CKD and gout, answer all of these questions and more.
Follow Jen on Instagram @Jen_gentry and the Gout Alliance for Awareness on Facebook @GoutAlliance and Twitter @GoutAlliance
Thank you to Horizon Therapeutics for sponsoring this episode. Learn more at goutrevealed.com
Star Wars super fans Josh Weiselberg and Barry Benecke bonded in an online community over their mutual love for the franchise. When Josh shared that a kidney transplant was his only hope, Barry chose light over dark by donating his kidney and returning balance to the force.
Host Monica Fox was a guest on The Gifted Life Podcast. They cover a range of topics in this special episode including Monica’s crash into dialysis, the immunosuppressant coverage bill, the origins of The Journey Continues, micro-aggressions and much more.
Listen to more episodes of The Gifted Life at https://www.thegiftedlife.org/
As a journalist, Damaso Reyes has made an impact by telling the stories of people across the globe. When his friend and fellow journalist needed a kidney, he chose to make the biggest impact of all by becoming a living donor.
Find Damaso’s writing and photographs at https://www.damaso.com/
Tracy Wingoand Courtney Bullock met through a running club and when Tracy desperately needed a kidney transplant, Courtney went the extra mile by donating one of her own. And it hasn't slowed either one of them down. They're running this year's Chicago Marathon together as part of Team Kidney.
Did you know the first successful kidney transplant was performed at a tiny hospital in Evergreen Park, IL in 1950? If not, you're not alone. Our guest Edmund Lawler wrote The Graft to tell the little-known story of this ground-breaking operation and the brave patient and surgeon at the center of it.
As an IT Director and father of 5, Phil Hanks is used to making big decisions. When doctors told him he'd need a 5-organ transplant, he was faced with the most daunting decision of his life.
Kidney recipients Della Major and Quin Taylor share their stories and talk about how the Take Charge self-management program empowered them to advocate for themselves. Now they're serving as co-facilitators to teach others how to take charge of their own health.
Marisol Sierra spends her days caring for dialysis patients. When her partner Eldin was diagnosed with kidney failure, her caregiving work became a 24-hour job. Marisol shares how to prevent the strain caregiving can cause on a relationship and ways caregivers can avoid burnout.
This episode is sponsored by Fresenius Kidney Care. Learn more at https://www.freseniuskidneycare.com/
At the height of her modeling career, Alexis Conell received a shocking diagnosis. While the news may have put her career on hold, it couldn't stop her drive to be healthy and strong... and inspire others to do the same.
This week on The Journey Continues, we’re sharing an episode of Hot Topics in Kidney Health where we’ll take a deep dive into sodium. Most patients on dialysis need to limit the amount of sodium in their diets. But how much sodium is safe and what are some ways to add flavor to your diet? Our experts Dr. Melissa Prest and Chef Duane Sunwold cover examples of high sodium foods, recommendations for low sodium substitutes, and how much sodium people with kidney disease should have as a part of a healthy diet.
Selena Gomez fan Emily Ward never imagined she and the singer would have so much in common until she learned she too would need a kidney transplant. She and her dad and kidney donor Bob kept positive through a tough two years of diagnosis, illness, and great loss.
Bringing home a new baby with complex kidney issues when you have four other children and you’re living far from home can be completely overwhelming. Clarissa Lee shares about her pregnancy, the measures she took to ensure her baby had the best care possible, and we hear about the inspiring life her son Austin is living now.
Laurie Lee and Dan Dickinson are the father-daughter duo behind Transplant Village. As a kidney donor and liver recipient, their experiences help them guide and coach others facing a transplant or considering living donation. In honor of National Donor Sabbath, they want to lovingly dedicate this episode to Dan’s deceased liver donor and Laurie’s kidney recipient saying “they are strangers to us but they both play a vital role in this family story about giving and receiving.”
In this episode from Gift of Hope’s podcast “Let’s Talk Hope” guests Dr. Catalina Ramos-Hernandez and Jennifer Aguilar of the Illinois Transplant Fund continue the discussion about the financial, cultural, and language barriers that Latino patients can face when in need of a life-saving transplant.
Organ failure doesn’t care about immigration status. So when Gerardo Huerta’s wife needed a life-saving kidney transplant, the Illinois Transplant Fund (ITF) was there to help. ITF founder Kevin Cmunt shares the inspiration behind their important work for which Gerardo and his family are so profoundly grateful.
For more information about the Illinois Transplant Fund, visit https://www.illinoistransplantfund.org/
Jody Wilkey donated a portion of her liver in 2019. When she heard Renee Sample needed a kidney, she didn’t hesitate to volunteer to donate again. But one phone call took them back to square one.
A diagnosis of kidney failure can be frightening to anyone. To a busy nurse and mom like Christine Hernandez, it can turn your whole world upside down. Christine and her son and caretaker Julian share how their family is venturing into the unknown, together.
Hot Topics in Kidney Health is a podcast from the National Kidney Foundation that highlights the latest in kidney research, dispels myths, and brings you up-to-date news in kidney care. This episode is all about plant-based diets and the benefits for kidney patients. If you like this episode, subscribe to Hot Topics in Kidney Health wherever you like to listen to podcasts.
Dawn Williamson is the first smiling face folks see when they step into Gift of Hope's offices. With her calming presence and bright smile, visitors might never guess that she too is waiting for a life-saving transplant. She chats with Monica about staying positive while she waits.
Angelique’s world was turned upside down when doctors told her she had only days to live unless she received a liver transplant. She and her twin sister Angenette knew her story was not going to end in that hospital bed 28 years ago.
August is Minority Organ Donation Awareness Month. For our inaugural episode, we are highlighting the story of organ donor hero Mario Cousins, as told by his mother Emma O’Neal and his grateful heart recipient Pam Morris Walton.
Kevin Lee is the Chief Organ Operations Office for Mid-America Transplant - the organ procurement organization for Southern Illinois and Missouri. He dispels common myths about organ donation and shares an exciting update about The Family House.
To learn more about Mid-America Transplant, visit midamericatransplant.org.
When Jeanette Perez heard fellow flight attendant Tonuah Trujillo needed a kidney, she didn’t hesitate to get tested. Now, closer than sisters, Jeannette is running the Chicago Marathon to raise awareness about the need for more living donors. Learn more about running with Team Kidney at nkfi.org/team-kidney and living donation at nkfi.org/be-a-donor
Rabbi Andy Bossov learned his kidneys were failing as a result of taking medication for his ulcerative colitis. His friend Karen, a minister, offered to donate one of hers. Now Andy’s using his time to advocate for others with kidney disease and by chairing this year’s Walk for Kidneys.
Through her work at Gift of Hope Organ & Tissue Donor Network, Marion Shuck helped countless families make the powerful decision to donate their loved ones’ tissue and organs. When her husband of 33 years, Reggie, suddenly passed away, she found herself making that same powerful decision.
Brian Stiner has always been athletic. When he was told he’d need a kidney transplant, he turned to sports by way of the Transplant Games to help him stay active, healthy, and positive.
Chelsie Tamms knew from a young age that kidney disease would be part of her story. As her career as a graphic designer flourished, it also became part of her passion.
To learn more about Chelsie and the Cool Beans project, visit https://www.letteringworks.com/coolbeans
For more information about Polycystic Kidney Disease, visit https://pkdcure.org/
Aaron and Tonya Rhoden’s love story is straight out of a Hallmark movie. They were engaged on a mountain in Hawaii and married the very next day. When Aaron was told he needed a kidney transplant, the couple embarked on their hardest climb yet.
Kimberly Gosell has been through more than her fair share of health scares: lupus, kidney failure, three transplants and now brain cancer. She shares how she handles the continued fight for her life.
Illinois State Senator Christopher Belt shares the shocking way he discovered his kidney disease and how his diagnosis and kidney transplant affect the way he serves the people of Illinois.
Dr. Tipu Puri, a kidney specialist at UChicago Medicine explains who is at-risk for developing kidney disease, and when, where, and why you should have your kidneys checked.
Jody Wilkey donated a portion of her liver in 2019. When she heard Renee Sample needed a kidney, she didn’t hesitate to volunteer to donate again. But one phone call took them back to square one.
Antonia Jordan and Maranda Proce couldn’t be more different but they now call one another “my closest friend.” Their lives intersected when Antonia’s nephew Chance the Rapper tweeted about his aunt’s need for a kidney donor.
As the first female, black transplant surgeon in the U.S., Dr. Velma Scantlebury is no stranger to overcoming challenges. She shares her journey from little girl in Barbados to author and world-renowned physician, and what's next for her now that she's retired.
Dawn Williamson is the first smiling face folks see when they step into Gift of Hope's offices. With her calming presence and bright smile, visitors might never guess that she too is waiting for a life-saving transplant. She chats with Monica about staying positive while she waits.
Anna Shabelman and her uncle Dave have always been close but their special bond grew even stronger when as an adolescent, Anna was diagnosed with kidney disease.
Diane Hollingsworth is no stranger to organ and tissue donation. Before she worked for National Kidney Foundation of Illinois, she needed a kidney transplant herself. Now she's a VP at Eversight where she helps give people with vision impairments the gift of sight.
Katie Adduci is a nurse, living kidney donor, and mom to kidney kid Max. Nicole duMont is a licensed social worker who has worked with children in all stages of kidney disease and transplantation. Together, they share what a pediatric kidney disease diagnosis looks like for families and ways that loved ones can offer support.
In this episode, host Monica Fox is interviewed by her daughter Olivia Fox. Together, they tell the miraculous and emotional story of Monica’s life-saving Thanksgiving transplant and why they are both committed changing lives as a result.
Daronta Briggs is a Gulf War Veteran, kidney transplant recipient, and the CEO of Veterans Transplantation Association. He shares his kidney transplant journey and his decision to support other veterans facing gaps in the healthcare system.
A diagnosis of kidney failure can be frightening to anyone. To a busy nurse and mom like Christine Hernandez, it can turn your whole world upside down. Christine and her son and caretaker Julian share how their family is venturing into the unknown, together.
1 in 3 American adults is at risk for developing chronic kidney disease. Jacqueline Burgess-Bishop, CEO for the National Kidney Foundation of Illinois, and Susan Sullivan, kidney recipient and Foundation board member, share ways to take care of your kidney health while making an impact in your community.
Angelique’s world was turned upside down when doctors told her she had only days to live unless she received a liver transplant. She and her twin sister Angenette knew her story was not going to end in that hospital bed 28 years ago.
Dr. Ashutosh Gupta treated patients with kidney disease for more than thirty years. But it was only after retirement that he made the decision to become a living kidney donor. In this episode, he shares his story and walks us through the donation process.
August is Minority Organ Donation Awareness Month. For our inaugural episode, we are highlighting the story of organ donor hero Mario Cousins, as told by his mother Emma O’Neal and his grateful heart recipient Pam Morris Walton.