Rogosin’s Program for Education and Counseling in Advanced Kidney Disease (PEAK) is a comprehensive program to treat patients whose kidney disease has progressed and help them live life to their fullest. The PEAK team of specialists offer patients and their loved ones support in addressing the challenges of advanced kidney disease. We thank Fuad Mohammed, a patient, and Kenneth Avery, a family member, for sharing how PEAK has helped them.
Read more about PEAK on our website HERE.
PEAK Gave Fuad Mohammed Renewed Hope
At age 36, Fuad Mohammed has been struggling with kidney disease for 24 years. When he was 8, on a family trip to Ghana, his legs swelled, and he was diagnosed with high blood pressure and kidney disease. Upon returning to the United States, his family was referred to the Pediatric Nephrology Department at New York-Presbyterian and he began his relationship with Rogosin, where he and his family were trained to do Peritoneal Dialysis (PD).
In December of 1995, at age 9, Fuad received his first kidney transplant. “As a child, it is difficult to understand why you need to take medication every day, and I rebelled,” says Fuad. “Five years later, my kidney failed, and I began hemodialysis at a Rogosin Center. Then on June 17, 2007, I got the life-changing call saying there was another kidney for me and to come to the hospital as soon as possible. For the
next thirteen years, I was able to live normally, until contracting COVID-19 in 2020.”
Fuad’s bout with COVID-19 led to kidney failure, and a return to dialysis. “After having a normal life, it was heartbreaking to start dialysis again,” says Fuad. “I began in-center hemodialysis and it just wasn’t working for me. Seeing what I was going through, Dr. Jun Lee referred me to the PEAK Program, where I reconnected with Roberta Billman, Nurse Educator, and some other old friends. They introduced me to home hemodialysis, explained everything, and gave me the courage to believe I could do this.”
Since starting home hemodialysis, Fuad, who works as a mental health counselor part-time, is doing much better. “I feel great and this is so much less stressful,” says Fuad. “I don’t have to go to a center for treatment and I can do this on my own time. My relationship with Roberta and the team has really changed things for me. If it wasn’t for them, I don’t know if I would still be alive. They made it possible for me to go on.”
Read more about PEAK on our website HERE.
Kenneth Artery Shares his Family’s Experience with PEAK
Just before she was about to retire and return to Jamaica, Norma Artery was rushed to Kings County Hospital with stroke-like symptoms, where she was diagnosed with End Stage Renal Disease (ESRD). “As a family, we had to make decisions about her care,” says her son Kenneth Artery, Patient Services Administrator, NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center. “Because I work at NewYork-Presbyterian, I knew about Rogosin and reached out to them for help.”
The family was referred to the Program for Education in Advanced Kidney Disease (PEAK), where staff care for and support patients with ESRD. “PEAK provided us with all the information we needed, in ways that were completely understandable,” says Kenneth. “They let us know what to expect every step of the way, provided emotional support, and the opportunity to meet with other patients. With their help and based on her goals, my mother chose Peritoneal Dialysis (PD).”
After entering the Program, Norma decided to stay here, so she could continue her care at Rogosin. “When you get that diagnosis, the biggest question is how will I survive,” says Kenneth. “You need a team to help you figure out next steps. For my mother, PD has been the right decision, and we all feel so grateful to Rogosin. We know that whatever happens, the PEAK team understands what she is going through and will be there for her.”
Read more about PEAK on our website HERE.
