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Glenda Roberts. Courtesy photo.

When she was just 21 and fresh out of college, Glenda Roberts took what she thought would be a routine physical exam to secure a new job.

But the outcome of that physical more than four decades ago was anything but routine.

The company "called me back and said, ‘We can’t hire you – you have too much protein in your urine,’" said Roberts, now a vibrant 61. "I said, ‘Well, how do I fix that? And they said, ‘We don’t know. You have to go to your own doctor to figure that out."

Roberts’ physician didn’t have good news, for it turned out the protein in her urine was a sign of kidney disease.

Kidney health is being recognized around the world in March, which is World Kidney Month. It’s time for everyone – like Roberts – to consider getting tested for kidney disease. Statistically, one of seven Americans has kidney disease.

"The incidence of kidney disease among American adults has increased 30 percent in the past 10 years," said Joyce Jackson, president and chief executive of Northwest Kidney Centers, the largest non-profit kidney dialysis organization serving King County. "Kidney disease is more than a personal health issue. It’s a public health issue too. Thirty percent of the country’s Medicare budget is spent treating kidney disease and 7 percent is spent on dialysis treatment. A significant portion of our public health care dollars are being spent on a disease that in many cases can be prevented."

When Roberts was first diagnosed, her doctor recommended that she promptly begin dialysis.

Dialysis in the early 1970s was still relatively new. "I didn’t know what dialysis was," Roberts said. "I’m a 21-year-old woman starting my life; I was terrified."

She decided instead to try other options. The Woodinville resident became a vegetarian and began exercising at least five days a week.

Roberts successfully staved off dialysis over the decades but endured the death of her brother when he was 44 and her father when he was 78 — both of whom succumbed to kidney failure.

Then recently, Roberts underwent another routine physical exam that again uncovered kidney disease. This time, her potassium level was so dangerously high that she was immediately taken to the emergency room.

Roberts is no longer able to control her kidney disease with diet and exercise alone, so about a month ago she began dialysis three times a week, four hours each session, at the Northwest Kidney Centers’ Totem Lake Kidney Center. It’s a process that interferes with her life and takes a lot out of her, so Roberts is going to begin training to undergo nightly dialysis at home while she sleeps. Roberts is also exploring if she is a good candidate for a kidney transplant.

Roberts doesn’t deny that her kidney failure has been a tough road, but she is also quick to point out some positive effects it has had on her and her family’s life.

As a former Microsoft executive, Roberts was charged with examining situations that weren’t working and finding solutions. Although she stepped down from Microsoft in 2006 due to stress, she said she is still programmed to find solutions to problems that need solving. Facing kidney disease and all its challenges is no different, she said. "This has given me the opportunity to look at the situation and try to find solutions."

Roberts has zeroed in on helping living donors pay for expenses not covered by insurance. She has established a non-profit organization called OUI Works that aims to raise funds to help living kidney donors with some of these non-covered costs, such as travel and living expenses.

She hopes the organization will help generate more donors, which will result in more kidney transplants. She also wants to highlight the kidney exchange program, where potential donors who are not compatible with their intended recipient are paired with patients who are a match, and vice-versa, so that willing donors and their recipients do end up with a new kidney. "Sometimes it’s a three-way swap," Roberts explained.

Walking alongside Roberts during her journey has been her husband of 30 years, Cal Sturdivant.

Roberts said her husband has, in a roundabout way, benefitted from her kidney disease. Roberts recounted this story to illustrate her point: Recently Sturdivant took Roberts for her regular dialysis. At one point he began to feel dizzy and lost consciousness.

"I’m screaming, but I’m on the dialysis machine and can’t move," Roberts said. Fortunately a nurse caught Sturdivant before his head hit the floor.

An emergency room doctor discovered that Sturdivant’s potassium level was too low.

Roberts chuckled at this, explaining that people on dialysis need to monitor their potassium. "Well, my family is eating the same thing I’m eating and (Cal’s) potassium had fallen too low as a result."

Roberts, ever the optimist, explained how this turned out to be a good thing. Because of his scare, Sturdivant visited his own doctor, underwent a physical, and found out what areas he needed to tweak.

As a result, Roberts said, her husband is eating all the right foods and no longer needs to take one of his medications for hypertension. "So that’s another good thing" about her kidney disease, Roberts explained.

Roberts said she is thankful for the care and support she gets at Northwest Kidney Centers.

"The people of Northwest Kidney Centers have gone out of their way to accommodate me, to educate me and answer my questions," she said. "They do a great job; they’re very flexible and sympathetic."

She knows that kidney disease can shorten lives. But with proper care, she intends to continue living a full, long life, with no plans to "kick the bucket" anytime soon.

"No," Roberts said with a laugh, "I’m holding onto my bucket."

Ways to prevent kidney disease:

• Treat high blood pressure and diabetes, two of the leading causes of kidney failure.

• Don’t smoke.

• Eat a low-salt, low-fat diet and control your weight.

• Exercise at least 30 minutes a day, five days a week.

• Don’t overuse pain relievers such as ibuprofen and naproxen, which can damage kidneys.

Your doctor can run three simple tests to assess your risk:

•Check your blood pressure

• Test for protein in the urine

• Test your blood for creatinine

Ask your doctor for these tests, especially if you are in a high-risk group, which includes African Americans, Hispanics, Pacific Islanders, Native Americans, people over age 60, and those with high blood pressure, diabetes or a family history of kidney disease. Early detection and treatment can help prevent the progression of kidney disease to kidney failure, which requires dialysis or a transplant to sustain life.

Glenda V. Roberts is in need of a kidney.  If you are interested in becoming a "living donor", please call 206-598-3627 the Unviersity of Washington Medical Transplant Program and state that you are interested in becoming a donor for "Glenda V. Roberts". It is a completely confidential process.  Also visit http://www.ouiworks.org/sponsoring0.aspx for additional information.

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written by Darryl W. Green, March 24, 2010

Glenda, Melanie and I are wishing you the best! We are with you in this health challenge...Hang in There!!

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