Nearly 30 million Americans suffer from some sort of progressive kidney disease today, and that number is expected to increase dramatically in the future. Our aging population, along with the burgeoning rate of diabetes among all ages in America, are the primary culprits for this skyrocketing increase in kidney disease. Obesity, of course, is the leading cause of type 2 or Adult Onset Diabetes, which, in turn, is the leading cause of kidney failure. There has never been a greater need for this book. Kidney disease patients, and their families and friends, will want to share this book.
This Book is a timely analysis of the causes and consequences of kidney diseases, presented in both medical and layman’s terms. As we’ve mentioned before, the book model contains three elements, including this detailed overview of the nature of kidney diseases of varied causes; a series of triumphant, inspirational and informative stories of patients who have dealt with the diseases and a look at all the emotional elements faced during early diagnosis and throughout the duration of the diseases. It will focus on the issues that often arise for the patient and often for their families, during the pathology of the diseases. Hope, love and courage are the why that allowed our patients to find the how, to not only survive their kidney disease, but to thrive and live a meaningful and normal life.
The book explains how these vital organs function and malfunction, the treatments currently available for those who suffer from kidney disease and how they have improved over the years. It includes the treatments on the horizon – including the development of artificial kidneys underway in California. It also shares ways to prevent kidney disease in the first place. It encourages kidney donation and early or even preemptive kidney transplant through educating both the patient and potential donors about the safety and relative ease of modern kidney donation, and the rich rewards for both the donor and recipient.
Part of the book is inspired by Dr. Fisher’s own illness and recovery. It was after he was diagnosed with lung cancer and went through all that cancer patients go through on the road to remission that he developed a deepening respect for the medical travails of those he had treated over the years, and decided their stories should be told. Their courage and soaring spirit were important elements for his recovery and were the reason that he wrote the book. It was then that he coined the term, “medical conveyor belt,” to describe the current status of many hospitals. Many patients feel they are treated less as an emotional human being then as an automobile moving down the conveyor belt, their ‘parts’ being worked on as they go by. It is this ‘conveyor belt’ evolution that has spawned the great need for this book, and the others in this series.
The book’s easy-to-understand medical explanations make it a standout in the field and a helpful resource for those with kidney problems. However, what truly sets this book apart from others on the subject is the way Dr. Fisher personalizes the issue by offering the true stories of patients he has treated over the last 35 years. These are people who have given him permission to tell what they went through, their periods of depression and hope, their suffering, and their triumphs. Their stories include examples of mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers and friends who selflessly came forward to give “the gift of life” in the form of one of their kidneys to a loved one.