How to Join the Kidney Club

For starters, we don’t really suggest you join the club.

To get in, all you have to do is have chronic kidney disease. But again, we really don’t suggest it. Especially if you can prevent it (which you may about 50% of the time).   If you want to find out if you’re at risk (and 1 in 3 adults in the US are) visit minuteforyourkidneys.org

If you’d like to HELP a family with kidney disease in Utah Please donate your old car (locally) to the National Kidney Foundation of Utah & Idaho’s Kidney Kars program at www.towKars.org

Monies raised from Kidney Kars donation stay local to help local kidney patients pay for medical emergency financial aid, transpiration costs, medications, doctors bills and more! Towing & car pick up takes around 48 hours, and you’ll get a charitable tax receipt for your donation.  If you have questions, call us (801) 226-5111!

March is Kidney Month! Are YOU the 33%?

March is Kidney Month!

Thanks to ksl.com for supporting our efforts to keep Utah’s kidneys healthy for longer.  Read their article “Four things to remember during National Kidney Month here:https://www.ksl.com/article/50121328/4-things-to-remember-during-national-kidney-awareness-month

Thirty-seven million Americans are at risk for kidney disease.

That is one in 3 adults in the US, or 33%.  Are you the 33%?

What are the risks?

Diabetes, high blood pressure, obesity and family history of kidney disease are the most common causes of kidney failure.  But there are other things, like long term use of NSAIDS/Ibuprofen and other pain killers that can also cause damage. Unfortunately, other risks include being born African American, Latino and Polynesian. These communities are more likely to develop kidney disease because they are at high risk of diabetes and high blood pressure.  So taking care to control diabetes and high blood pressure, is the key to keeping kidneys healthy.

What Should I ask my doctor?

If you have diabetes or high blood pressure, the sooner you “know the score” the better.   So next time you are at the doctor be prepared to ask:

1. What is my GFR Score and what can I do about it?
2. What is my Albumin to Creatinine ratio (uACR)?

What are the symptoms?

Unfortunately, kidney failure has few symptoms, and by the time there are symptoms, it’s too late.  Symptoms include:  swelling around the eyes, hands, feet, eyes or abdomen, less frequent/difficulty urinating.

Knowing your risk sooner rather than too late.

Fifty percent of those on dialysis may have prevented dialysis if they had known sooner how. If you’re not sure take a minute to find out at www.MinuteForYourKidneys.org

 

Get a Tax deduction for Spring Cleaning

If this is your idea of Spring cleaning call Kidney Kars.

The National Kidney Foundation of Utah & Idaho (Kidney Kars) has been helping Utah spring clean since 1991.  For the past 30 March & Aprils, we been asked to sit on so many municipal and state clean up and recycling committees, we’ve lost count.  Our favorite and most memorable clean up effort was in 1995-96.  Governor Mike Leavitt (a Governor of Utah back before you were born) recognized the Kidney Foundation’s efforts to beautify the state with ‘free towing’ for old cars. The Governor wanted Utah in tip-top shape for our 150th (sesquicentennial) birthday celebration. If you were alive in 1995/96, I bet you got one of our Kidney Kars flyers in your city electric bill or Zion’s/First Interstate/Wells Fargo bank account statement (remember when statements came in the mail inside of a paper envelope?).  We worked so hard cleaning up old junk cars around the state (as far away as Tropic outside of Bryce Canyon and Snowville on the Utah/Idaho border) that Governor Leavitt gave us a very special letter of endorsement, which has been renewed by every Utah (and now Idaho) Governor since. We once towed 40 vehicles from a residence in Sunset, Utah (a used car dealer who’d retired and passed away, leaving his widow with a field FULL of cars and several zoning violations). We have recycled a LOT of steel, glass, aluminum, Freon and gasoline since 1991. So if you have a car or two (running or not) donate locally the National Kidney Foundation of Utah & Idaho. We provide fee towing and a tax deduction when you’re finally ready ‘part’ ways. See what I did there?

Old cars are filled with environmentally hazardous materials

Old cars leak gas, nitrogen, sulfur, mercury, gasoline, battery acid and other hazardous chemicals that are not good for the soil and water around your home. When an old car has sat for more than a year it leaks contaminates into the soil and can harm house pets and kill dandelions (AND EVERYONE KNOWS NOTHING KILLS DANDILIONS). So even if you can get that car running again, chances are 100% you’ll be shelling out $600-800 on an updated catalytic converter to reduce emissions. Also get ready to spend a lot more on gasoline. Older cars are generally less fuel efficient than newer ones.  So while it’s March and spring cleaning is on your mind we’d love you to be able to plant a garden where your old one is ‘parked.’ We humbly suggest giving it to Kidney Kars of Utah & Idaho.

Kidney Kars donations raise funds to pay medical emergency funding for Utah & Idaho kidney patients

One of the biggest reasons to donate your car to Kidney Kars is that cars donated in Utah help Utah ‘Kidney’ families.  If you have a friend or neighbor on dialysis or awaiting a kidney transplant the chances are high they will need medical emergency financial aid from the Kidney Foundation. Kidney Kars donations help pay down medical bills, medications, housing, transportation and other financial strain placed on them by the cost of dialysis / transplant.  We know we’re passionate about this. But, we can’t think of a single other thing you could do with that car, better than donating it locally to the National Kidney Foundation of Utah & Idaho. We provide emergency aid to over 3,000 kidney patients in our community.

Towing is always free, car pick up takes 48 hours, and you will get a receipt for a tax deduction

So if it’s the ‘end of the road‘ (sorry I couldn’t resist) for the old car sitting unused in your driveway, please donate it at www.towKars.org or call us 1-800-Tow-Kars (bet you don’t remember toll free numbers) or (801) 226-5111. Once you’ve reached our Provo office we’ll take down your car’s VIN, mileage and Title number and send a tow company your way in under 48 hours.

 

Should I donate my car to charity | TowKars.org