Today’s blog post comes from one of our interns, Dr Romina Arias-Uribe, an MPH Preventive Medicine student at St George’s University. Romina recently facilitated the Q&A during our kidney disease webinar, which featured guest speakers from the Nevis Renal Society. Drawing on the experiences and insights shared by our guest speakers, Romina reflects on why kidney health is not only a personal concern, but a shared community responsibility.
Realising that kidney health affects everyone can bring people together and encourage community action. Attending Lake Health and Wellbeing’s kidney disease webinar during the Global Week for Action on Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) changed how I thought about chronic kidney disease (CKD). Before the webinar, I mostly thought of kidney disease as something linked to dialysis, serious illness, and hospital stays. The speakers explained that kidney health is about much more than medicine. It involves prevention, personal choices, access to care, public education, health funding, and community support. They also explained that kidney disease often develops quietly, but it impacts individuals, families, healthcare systems, and whole communities.
One part of the webinar that stayed with me was when Dr Glenville Liburd, a founding member of the Nevis Renal Society and public health advocate, explained why he got involved in kidney-health advocacy. He described seeing a former schoolmate struggle with kidney failure when good renal care was hard to find in Nevis. He also shared a story about a patient who lived for several years with a dialysis machine at home, thanks to support and training. Hearing these stories made kidney disease feel much more real than just hearing statistics. They reminded me that every diagnosis is about a real person whose life depends on access to healthcare. Dr. Liburd’s experiences also showed that treatment is possible when patients, families, clinicians, and communities work together.
What stood out to me most was Dr. Liburd’s focus on consciousness, commitment, choice, compassion, and community. He said that real progress is about more than just medical technology. People need to understand the risks of hypertension, diabetes, and kidney disease. They also need to make informed choices, stay committed to prevention and treatment, show compassion to those living with chronic illness, and work together as a community. I found this approach practical because it shows that preventing chronic disease is something we all share. While individuals need to take care of their health and make changes, governments, health workers, advocacy groups, and communities also need to support healthy choices and timely care.
Dr. Florelle Hobson, Chief of Staff at Alexandra Hospital and a Board-Certified Lifestyle Medicine Physician, helped me see why CKD is often called a “silent” disease. She explained that someone can feel fine even after losing a lot of kidney function, so symptoms might not show up until the disease is advanced. This made me realise how important it is to get regular check-ups instead of waiting for pain or other warning signs. Dr. Hobson kept reminding everyone to know their blood pressure, blood sugar, and glomerular filtration rate (GFR). That advice is simple but powerful: knowing your health numbers can help catch risks early and might prevent kidney failure.
Another key point was how closely kidney disease is linked to diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, obesity, smoking, diet, and lack of exercise.
Dr. Hobson stressed that lifestylechanges like eating more whole foods, cutting back on ultra-processed foods and sugary drinks, exercising regularly, avoiding tobacco, getting enough sleep, and following medical advice are the basics of kidney protection. I liked that the discussion didn’t treat medication and lifestyle changes as opposites. Instead, the speakers explained that they work best together. Good care means patient education, regular check-ups, the right medication when needed, and real support for making changes.
Mrs. Alexa Pemberton, treasurer and founding member of the Nevis Renal Society, shared a meaningful family story. She talked about how her mother’s kidney failure inspired her to get involved in kidney advocacy. Her mother lived for 12 years on dialysis but had to travel to different countries for treatment and procedures. This story showed the emotional, financial, and practical challenges of kidney disease, especially in small islands where specialist care can be hard to find. It also showed how family experiences can inspire advocacy and long-term service.
The Q&A session made the webinar feel more personal and practical by connecting the speakers’ presentations to everyday concerns. People asked about whether recurrent UTIs can lead to chronic kidney disease, why men often delay seeking healthcare, common misconceptions like thinking kidney disease always needs dialysis, and why more young people are developing risk factors like hypertension and diabetes. I was especially struck by the discussion about self-diagnosis and using unproven remedies, which showed how important it is to build trust between patients and healthcare professionals while still respecting patients’ beliefs. The speakers also explained that early-stage kidney disease can often be managed with lifestyle changes, the right medication, and regular monitoring, which offered hope instead of fear.
Overall, the Q&A showed that kidney care is about more than treating disease after it gets serious. It needs honest communication, early screening, patient education, accessible services, and shared responsibility between individuals, clinicians, families, and the wider community. The discussion also highlighted the value of digital health portals that let patients access their lab results and track things like GFR, blood pressure, and blood sugar over time, while still getting professional guidance to interpret them correctly.
Overall, this webinar showed me that preventing kidney disease starts long before dialysis is needed. It begins with awareness, regular screening, trust in proven care, and working together to make health services accessible. The speakers’ main message, that “it takes a village to heal itself,” really stayed with me. I now see kidney health not just as a personal issue but as a public health priority that needs compassion, early action, patient support, and community involvement.
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