Diary of a Kidney Warrior

🚨NEW EPISODE 🎙️ | IgA Nephropathy: Brittany’s 8-Year Journey to Diagnosis, Treatment & Self-Advocacy

“My function is great. Like, why do I have to go on medicine?”

Brittany’s kidney function was well preserved — but that wasn’t the whole story.

After a journey that began in 2016, Brittany finally received an IgA nephropathy (IgAN) diagnosis following a kidney biopsy in September 2024.

In our conversation, we explore her long road to diagnosis, proteinuria, treatment and side effects, and why she became increasingly determined to advocate for herself.

📺 Watch: https://youtu.be/K4kbLGpq08g

🎧 Prefer to listen? The audio episode is also available across the major podcast platforms:


💬 QUESTION: Have you ever had a test result that looked reassuring while you still knew something wasn’t right?

#IgANephropathy #IgAN #KidneyDisease #Proteinuria #KidneyHealth #DiaryOfAKidneyWarriorPodcast

1 week ago | [YT] | 1

Diary of a Kidney Warrior

🦸🏻‍♀️🦸🏾‍♂️🦸🏾‍♀️🦸🏻‍♂️🦸🏻‍♀️🦸🏻‍♀️ HONOURING OUR LIVING DONOR SUPERHEROES

As Organ Donation Week comes to a close, I couldn’t let the week end without celebrating six incredible living kidney donors who have shared their stories with the Diary of a Kidney Warrior Podcast community. 💗

💗 Jan — donated to a complete stranger
💗 Richie — donated to his aunt
💗 Derricka — donated to her dad
💗 Ali — donated to his former colleague and mentor
💗 Lynsey — donated to her sister Carla
💗 Hayley — donated to a complete stranger

Different people. Different relationships. Different journeys.

Six incredible living donors.

Thank you for trusting me with your stories and allowing the Kidney Warrior community to learn from your experiences.

And to living kidney donors everywhere — we celebrate you. 💗

#OrganDonationWeek #LivingKidneyDonation #DiaryOfAKidneyWarriorPodcast

‪@KidneyCareUK‬ ‪@nhsorgandonation‬ ‪@nhsbloodandtransplant‬ ‪@WorldKidneyDay‬ ‪@DOVETransplant‬

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1 week ago | [YT] | 1

Diary of a Kidney Warrior

🥤 PROTEIN, COLLAGEN & CREATINE: WHAT DO KIDNEY PATIENTS NEED TO KNOW?

I’ve pulled together 8 insights from Senior Renal Dietitian Tadala Kolawole from our latest conversation.

👉🏾 Swipe through the carousel.

We discuss protein requirements throughout CKD and dialysis, protein powders, collagen, creatine, creatinine, eGFR and why decisions about supplements need to take your individual kidney health into account.

But there’s much more behind each of these quotes.

📺 WATCH the full audio + visual episode on YouTube:
https://youtu.be/LZUVnb2H6Rs

💬 Which of Tadala’s quotes stood out to you most?

#KidneyDisease #CKD #Dialysis #KidneyHealth #DiaryOfAKidneyWarriorPodcast

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1 week ago | [YT] | 4

Diary of a Kidney Warrior

🚨 NEW EPISODE | PROTEIN POWDER, COLLAGEN & CREATINE + KIDNEY DISEASE

Can you take them safely if you have kidney disease? 🤔

Senior Renal Dietitian Tadala Kolawole is back on Diary of a Kidney Warrior Podcast — and this time we’re looking at some of the most talked-about supplements online.

🥤 Protein powders
✨ Collagen
🏋🏾 Creatine
🩸 Creatinine & eGFR
💪 Protein needs in CKD vs dialysis
💧 Creatine & dialysis target weight

There’s a LOT in this conversation that kidney patients need to hear.

And Tadala leaves us with an important reminder:

“More isn’t always better.”

📺 WATCH THE FULL EPISODE NOW:
https://youtu.be/LZUVnb2H6Rs

👇🏾 QUESTION: Have you ever wondered whether a supplement was safe for you because of your kidney disease? Let me know in the comments.

👍🏾 Like | 💬 Comment | 🔔 Subscribe | ↗️ Share

#KidneyDisease #CKD #Creatine #ProteinPowder #Collagen #Dialysis #KidneyHealth #DiaryOfAKidneyWarriorPodcast

3 weeks ago | [YT] | 3

Diary of a Kidney Warrior

“What DON’T you get out of doing it?”

Hayley decided at just eight years old that one day she wanted to donate a kidney.

Years later, she did.

In our conversation, Hayley shares her journey from that childhood decision to becoming a living kidney donor — including setbacks, the donor work-up, meeting her recipient and the unexpected sense of purpose she found through donation.

Now, she uses her experience to advocate for others.

Swipe through 8 powerful quotes from Hayley’s interview 👆🏽

Then watch the FULL episode: https://youtu.be/yr3aABwRUQg

👍🏽 Like
💬 Comment
🔔 Subscribe
🔁 Share this episode with someone who may benefit from hearing Hayley’s story.

#DiaryOfAKidneyWarriorPodcast #LivingKidneyDonation #LivingDonor #KidneyTransplant

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3 weeks ago | [YT] | 2

Diary of a Kidney Warrior

🎙️🎉 DIARY OF A KIDNEY WARRIOR PODCAST IS 6 TODAY!

On 31st August 2020, I launched Diary of a Kidney Warrior Podcast.

Six years later, I’m incredibly grateful for every kidney patient who has trusted me with their story, every health professional who has shared their expertise, and every person who has watched, listened, subscribed, shared or supported the podcast. ❤️

I’m also grateful to Kidney Care UK, who I’ve been proud to partner with since 2021, for their continued support.

Thank you for being part of this journey. 🙏🏽

Here’s to YEAR SEVEN! 🎙️🎉

youtube.com/shorts/PuuIsDp3BA...

▶️ Watch my 6th anniversary message above.

#DiaryOfAKidneyWarriorPodcast #KidneyHealth #KidneyDisease

1 month ago | [YT] | 0

Diary of a Kidney Warrior

At 8 years old, Hayley decided she wanted to donate a kidney.

She grew up — and actually did it.

And the person who received her kidney was a stranger. 💚

🎥 In the NEW audio + visual episode of Diary of a Kidney Warrior Podcast, Hayley shares the remarkable story of becoming a living kidney donor.

We talk about:

🫘 Why she wanted to donate from such a young age
🫘 Being initially rejected as a donor
🫘 The donor assessment and matching process
🫘 Meeting her recipient
🫘 Surgery and recovery
🫘 Life with one kidney
🫘 Returning to martial arts and becoming a first-degree black belt after donation
🫘 Why she believes her donation helped far more than one person
🫘 Her advice to potential living kidney donors

WATCH NOW 👇🏽
https://youtu.be/yr3aABwRUQg

👍🏽 Like
💬 Comment
📲 Share
🔔 Subscribe

And tell me in the comments: Did you know someone could choose to donate a kidney to a stranger?

#LivingKidneyDonation #LivingKidneyDonor #KidneyDonation #KidneyTransplant #OrganDonation #DiaryOfAKidneyWarriorPodcast

1 month ago | [YT] | 0

Diary of a Kidney Warrior

🩸 NEW EPISODE | VASCULITIS & KIDNEY DISEASE

Can vasculitis cause kidney failure?

What does treatment involve?

What does remission actually mean?

And can someone start dialysis because of vasculitis and later recover enough kidney function to come off it?

In my latest conversation, kidney doctor Dr Lauren answers these questions and much more.

We discuss symptoms, diagnosis, ANCA-associated vasculitis, kidney biopsies, treatment, remission and relapse, dialysis, kidney recovery, kidney transplantation and living with vasculitis long term.

One message comes through very clearly:

⏰ “Time is kidney.”

▶️ WATCH
https://youtu.be/rmwZMnQDvWs

💬 What did you learn from this conversation? Let me know in the comments.

👍🏾 Like
💬 Comment
📲 Share
🔔 Subscribe

#DiaryOfAKidneyWarriorPodcast #Vasculitis #KidneyDisease #KidneyHealth #Dialysis

1 month ago | [YT] | 1

Diary of a Kidney Warrior

🆕 New episode out now!💚

When Andrea was a teenager, her kidney infections were dismissed. Decades later, she found out one kidney was functioning at just 8% — a Stage 4 CKD diagnosis that came far too late.

In this episode of the Diary of a Kidney Warrior Podcast, Andrea shares the surgery, the recovery, the fibromyalgia diagnosis that followed, and the invisible weight chronic illness places on our families.

This one is about self-advocacy, knowing your numbers, and refusing to be silent.
"Get up, get on, and keep going." — Andrea Baker-Reid 💪🏽

Watch now 👉🏽👉 https://youtu.be/ZFzp77OFF1E

#CKD #ChronicKidneyDisease #KidneyWarrior #KidneyHealth #PatientStories

2 months ago | [YT] | 3

Diary of a Kidney Warrior

💚 NEW EPISODE OUT NOW!
We all know GLP-1 medicines can help with weight loss. But what if their most surprising benefit is how they may help protect kidney function?
In this episode of the Diary of a Kidney Warrior Podcast, Professor Alex explains how GLP-1 medicines may help reduce kidney damage and scarring—and what patients should discuss with their nephrologist.
Could this change the future of kidney care?

Have you spoken to your kidney team about GLP-1 medicines?

2 months ago | [YT] | 1