On this episode of This Thing Called Life Podcast, host Andi Johnson is going to talk to Shelly Sherman and Stephanie Jackson. They are discussing kidney health and an exciting new project that is being launched to shed light on kidney disease as well as prevention. No doctor or medical expert will kill you for your organs; In fact, no medical professional is aware of your donor status until your death is declared. Tune in for more information!

Episode Highlights:

• Host Andi Johnson has a few big asks. Will you join us and be a part of this interconnected life sustaining community by registering to be an organ, eye, and tissue donor? Will you make the commitment to become more educated about living donation and championing the donation cause?
• Shelly is associated with the Cincinnati, Ohito chapter of The Links, Incorporated and she served as the Health and Human Services Facet Committee chair.
• The Ohio central chapter was granted an award by Baxter International for increasing the awareness of kidney health in the communities in which Shelly lives and primarily in the African American community.
• What is GFR? Shelly has been working hard in the community to make sure people know where they are regarding their GFR, which lets them know how well their kidneys are functioning and what they can do to maintain kidney health.
• The Links organization was founded in 1946 on the premise of friendship, and Shelly wants to uplift and elevate people by providing health information.
• Stephanie and Shelly first met through collaboration with The Center For Closing the Health Gap.
• Shelly had goals in mind based on the grant they received regarding the number of people that they needed to touch and the number of community partnerships that they needed to do.
• Shelly and Stephaine share the experiences they have had with training sessions and connecting in the community. They hope people will continue to listen to the podcast and continue doing some things and spreading the word in their communities.
• When people are ill, you can see it on their skin and eyes. You can notice the effects of kidney and liver illness on the skin and other body systems.
• Garlic is great for decreasing inflammation; It has Vitamin C, Vitamin B6, and Manganese, a great alternative for your seasoning. If you want to decrease your psyllium, you can add more garlic, which is great for your heart and your kidney.
• The one thing is to avoid canned and packaged chicken breast because those can contain sodium and other preservatives.
• Raising awareness and making small changes goes such a long way in promoting healthier lifestyles. There is a great ripple effect too when you share information like this with those in your family and circles.

3 Key Points:

1. Blueberries are an important food for kidney patients. They serve as antioxidants and are very good for healing. In addition, they help your body to increase urination.
2. People talk about dialysis and transplant, and these are things that you want to avoid. By opting for a healthier lifestyle and changes in the food you eat, you can do that.
3. There are so many ways you can just move your body, and Stephanie always tells people 15 to 20 minutes is sufficient. Make sure that your body is doing something that it doesn’t do every day.

Tweetable Quotes:

• “Whatever we are putting in our body, the body is going to use, and if we don’t put in things that our body can use, then our body is not going to be able to function the way it’s supposed to.” – Stephaine
• “Your body does need fat but only healthy fats because it helps everything stay lubricated and work well in all facets.” – Stephaine
• “So much of what happens to us is preventable, and a lot of it is due to a lack of information that is sometimes missed in our community.” – Shelly
• “Sometimes, we do have a mistrust of the medical systems, and we don’t get some of the information that we need to have, but we can share it and start to educate each other.” - Shelly

Resources Mentioned:

• LifeCenter | Website | Facebook | Instagram | YouTube| Twitter
• Andi Johnson website |LinkedIn
• Organ Donation Website
• https://www.cincinnatilinks.org/black-kare-initiative
• https://www.facebook.com/CincinnatiLinks
• https://www.instagram.com/cincinnatilinks/
• https://www.yoursweetestlife.com/
• https://www.facebook.com/yoursweetestlifewithstephaniej
• https://www.instagram.com/yoursweetestlifewithstephaniej/