Chicago “Patient Ambassador” Urges Fellow Kidney Disease Patients to Educate Themselves, Take Control
Chicago’s Jason Gill received a kidney transplant in February 2009 after more than four years on dialysis. Jason, a 32-year-old gymnastics coach and personal trainer, has made it his personal mission to raise awareness about kidney disease and offer his personal support to those on dialysis to help them better cope with kidney failure and live their lives to the fullest.
Jason Gill
Jason will be speaking to participants at the kidney health fair that’s part of a DaVita Kidney Awareness Run/Walk™ that takes place in Chicago on September 20. With the goal of raising funds for The Kidney TRUST and educating communities about kidney disease, the 2009 5K run/walks will reach 10 target U.S. cities: Denver; Chicago; Cleveland; Cincinnati; St. Louis; Sacramento; Long Beach, CA; Ft. Worth, TX; Virginia Beach, VA and Washington D.C.
After going to the doctor suffering from migraine headaches and high blood pressure in August 2004, Jason got a call on his 27th birthday informing him that his kidneys had failed and that he needed to go on dialysis immediately. After battling depression early in his treatment, Jason dedicated himself to learning more about kidney disease and its treatment and taking control of his life once again — teaching gymnastics part-time and resuming an active lifestyle in close consultation with his doctors.
As he battled his own disease Jason found that he had a talent for listening to other patients and helping them work through their concerns and joined Dialysis Patient Citizens (DPC) – a nationwide non-profit working to improve the quality of life for all dialysis patients through education and advocacy.
Jason takes a “tough love” approach to his personal training clients and he likewise doesn’t pull any punches when speaking to other kidney disease patients: “I tell people that they have a choice — they can sit around feeling sorry for themselves or they can jump in and do something about it. Whether you’re already on dialysis or just showing the beginning signs of kidney disease, education is the key to improving your health. I can tell you from personal experience that it’s made all the difference to me and ultimately made me a stronger candidate for a transplant. Don’t sit back and rely on the doctors and nurses to tell you what to do – learn everything you can about your kidneys and how to protect them and then act on that knowledge.”
Jason has a special role in the Chicago event. As a “Patient Ambassador” for Dialysis Patient Citizens, he will share his personal experience of kidney disease and dialysis care with other walkers, friends and family members at the DaVita Kidney Health Expo. In addition to talking about what it’s like living with kidney disease, Jason will be encouraging participants to take advantage of free rapid-screening for kidney disease that will be offered by The Kidney TRUST on site. The TRUST has performed nearly 11,000 screens for CKD since the program started in October 2007.
“I had no clue that I had a problem with my kidneys before I was diagnosed with kidney failure and had to go on dialysis,” said Jason. “But as an African American man with high blood pressure and HIV, I had many risk factors. In addition to encouraging people on dialysis to take an active role in their care and lead full and active lives, I want to get the word out to people in the community that kidney disease needs to be on their radar. They need to know that if you identify CKD in its early stages, you can take steps to improve your health and head off kidney failure.”
Since his transplant, Jason has set his sights high. In addition to his personal training business, he is taking a full course load in an R.N. program at a local college with the goal of becoming a physician’s assistant, specializing in sports medicine, as well as a trainer for professional and Olympic athletes. Given Jason’s drive and determination and all he has achieved so far, you have to like his chances of realizing his goals.
