<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><rss xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/" xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" version="2.0"><channel><title><![CDATA[Kidney Konnect]]></title><description><![CDATA[Connecting Communities, Empowering Lives]]></description><link>https://www.kidneykonnect.org/news</link><generator>RSS for Node</generator><lastBuildDate>Sun, 05 Apr 2026 09:16:10 GMT</lastBuildDate><atom:link href="https://www.kidneykonnect.org/blog-feed.xml" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml"/><item><title><![CDATA[Rest in Power, Irv Gotti — A Legacy That Changed Hip-Hop, and a Life That Reminds Us Why Kidney Health Cannot Wait]]></title><description><![CDATA[On February 5, 2025, the music world lost one of its greatest architects. Irving Lorenzo — known to the world as Irv Gotti  — passed away at just 54 years old after suffering a massive hemorrhagic stroke, a devastating complication of years-long struggles with diabetes that went largely unmanaged.wikipedia+1 At Kidney Konnect, we mourn his loss deeply — not only as fans of his legendary work, but as advocates for the very health issues that took him too soon. A Legacy That Reshaped Music...]]></description><link>https://www.kidneykonnect.org/post/rest-in-power-irv-gotti-a-legacy-that-changed-hip-hop-and-a-life-that-reminds-us-why-kidney-heal</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69aa56d5b5dd058733482cfb</guid><pubDate>Fri, 06 Mar 2026 04:35:13 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/834113_574cc68772b24fe9bfbd300cb6cdf40f~mv2.webp/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Jason Berry</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[A Cause for Candice - Fat Joe &#38; Roc Nation Are Calling on All of Us]]></title><description><![CDATA[A Real Person. A Real Need. A Kidney Can Save Her Life. "She needs our help, she needs a kidney." — Fat Joe, in partnership with Roc Nation and Team Roc Kidney Konnect stands fully behind #ACauseForCandice — a powerful campaign supported by Roc Nation, Team Roc, and hip-hop icon Fat Joe to help a woman named Candice find a living kidney donor match. Candice's story is not unique — but it is urgent. Tens of thousands of people across the country are on the national kidney transplant waiting...]]></description><link>https://www.kidneykonnect.org/post/a-cause-for-candice-fat-joe-roc-nation-are-calling-on-all-of-us</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69aa506fa29c2f98147a3021</guid><pubDate>Fri, 06 Mar 2026 03:59:33 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/834113_24dbfd64fcb54038b7b4d9659bbc9bd4~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_692,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Jason Berry</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Lipoprotein(a): The “Hidden” Cholesterol More Black Families Need to Hear About]]></title><description><![CDATA[At Kidney Konnect, we talk a lot about blood pressure, diabetes, and kidney function—but there’s another number many people in our community have never heard of: lipoprotein(a), or Lp(a). It’s a type of “bad” cholesterol particle that can quietly raise the risk of heart attack and stroke, even when your regular LDL cholesterol looks okay. What Is Lp(a)? Lp(a) is like an LDL (“bad”) cholesterol particle wearing an extra “coat” made of a sticky protein called apolipoprotein(a). That extra layer...]]></description><link>https://www.kidneykonnect.org/post/lipoprotein-a-the-hidden-cholesterol-more-black-families-need-to-hear-about</link><guid isPermaLink="false">698bbbb35412b49a8b5b9927</guid><pubDate>Tue, 10 Feb 2026 23:26:07 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/834113_96d109a9d716469c9e2fbd210b4526d2~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_768,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Jason Berry</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Black Americans, Diabetes, and Kidney Disease: What Our Community Needs to Know]]></title><description><![CDATA[Black Americans living with type 2 diabetes face a higher risk of developing chronic kidney disease (CKD), a condition where the kidneys become damaged and can no longer filter blood properly. They are not only more likely to have kidney failure than white Americans, but also nearly twice as likely to develop type 2 diabetes in the first place, which compounds that risk. How Diabetes Damages the Kidneys When blood sugar stays high over time, it damages blood vessels and tiny filters in the...]]></description><link>https://www.kidneykonnect.org/post/black-americans-diabetes-and-kidney-disease-what-our-community-needs-to-know</link><guid isPermaLink="false">698bb5dd41590511a34788bf</guid><pubDate>Tue, 10 Feb 2026 23:10:33 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/834113_aaece08c419948a19cbfc08a5ebd5d86~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Jason Berry</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[A New Frontier in Kidney Transplants: What a Pig Kidney Means for Our Community]]></title><description><![CDATA[In November 2024, a 53-year-old woman from Alabama named Towana Looney became the third person in the United States to receive a kidney from a genetically modified pig, after waiting eight years for a human organ that never came. Her story shines a light on both the crisis of kidney disease and the hope that new science may bring to patients and families like those we serve at Kidney Konnect. Towana’s Story: Eight Years of Waiting Towana lived with kidney failure and spent years in the...]]></description><link>https://www.kidneykonnect.org/post/a-new-frontier-in-kidney-transplants-what-a-pig-kidney-means-for-our-community</link><guid isPermaLink="false">698baf6c41590511a3477ade</guid><pubDate>Tue, 10 Feb 2026 22:28:12 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/834113_06c0f186596c4c27b217dafcd2f3705a~mv2.webp/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Jason Berry</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[A “first across the bridge”: What Tim Andrews’ pig kidney journey means for the future]]></title><description><![CDATA[This month, CNN shared an extraordinary milestone in transplant medicine: Tim Andrews, a New Hampshire man with diabetes and end-stage kidney disease, became the first person known to receive both a genetically modified pig kidney and later a human kidney transplant. His experience shows why scientists are pursuing xenotransplantation—because too many people spend years tied to dialysis while waiting for an organ match.[ edition.cnn ]​ Andrews received the pig kidney transplant at...]]></description><link>https://www.kidneykonnect.org/post/a-first-across-the-bridge-what-tim-andrews-pig-kidney-journey-means-for-the-future</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6986c1ff7004b37905536094</guid><pubDate>Sat, 07 Feb 2026 04:40:57 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/834113_04434456dc314860948bff2faa787280~mv2.avif/v1/fit/w_860,h_484,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Jason Berry</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[When the Numbers Lied: How Race-Based Testing Delayed Kidney Care]]></title><description><![CDATA[The test that measured us differently African Americans are three to four times more likely to develop kidney failure compared to white Americans. But for years, the test used to measure kidney function made that disparity even worse. The eGFR test measures how well your kidneys filter waste from your blood. Until recently, it included a race-based adjustment that automatically gave Black patients higher scores—making their kidneys appear healthier than they actually were. That multiplier...]]></description><link>https://www.kidneykonnect.org/post/when-the-numbers-lied-how-race-based-testing-delayed-kidney-care</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6986bfc596663872686074ce</guid><pubDate>Sat, 07 Feb 2026 04:30:06 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/834113_4418d6fc3e5e40148c026efc0e9b2a8e~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_900,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Jason Berry</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Damon Wayans: Food is medicine, Your body is listening.]]></title><description><![CDATA[Damon Wayans made headlines not for a new comedy special, but for something far more powerful—reversing his diabetes naturally by growing his own food and taking ownership of his health. In a recent conversation, Wayans opened up about how he reclaimed his life by cutting out processed foods, eliminating sugar, and making strategic lifestyle changes that put him back in the driver's seat. This isn't just a celebrity success story. This is about what's possible when we stop waiting for...]]></description><link>https://www.kidneykonnect.org/post/damon-wayans-food-is-medicine-your-body-is-listening</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6986bc2e9666387268606d81</guid><pubDate>Sat, 07 Feb 2026 04:25:45 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/834113_504ed601ad354330ba580ec4e69abbaa~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_800,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Jason Berry</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Alonzo Mourning shares how kidney disease changed his life—and why family history, early testing, and awareness matter.]]></title><description><![CDATA[In our communities, we often don’t talk about our kidneys until they fail—and by then, we’re forced into urgent decisions instead of empowered ones. Alonzo Mourning opens up about how kidney disease can move in silence, even when everything on the outside looks like success. At the height of his career—fresh off winning an Olympic gold medal and dominating in the NBA—Mourning says his kidneys were “quietly shutting down.” He describes feeling like his career might be over, and even fearing...]]></description><link>https://www.kidneykonnect.org/post/alonzo-mourning-shares-how-kidney-disease-changed-his-life-and-why-family-history-early-testing-an</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6986ba6a96663872686068f9</guid><pubDate>Sat, 07 Feb 2026 04:11:31 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/834113_ac5da91c6ccb425ea1537bb7b6696c61~mv2.webp/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Jason Berry</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[From Diabetic Coma to Oscar Winner: Halle Berry's Journey to Protect Her Kidneys]]></title><description><![CDATA[From diabetic coma to Oscar winner: Halle Berry's fight to protect her kidneys At 22 years old, Halle Berry collapsed into a diabetic coma. She woke up in a hospital room facing a terrifying diagnosis: Type 1 diabetes. Doctors told her she'd need insulin injections for the rest of her life. They also told her what happens when diabetes isn't controlled—kidney failure, blindness, heart disease, amputations, and stroke. Berry was scared. But she refused to let diabetes write the ending to her...]]></description><link>https://www.kidneykonnect.org/post/from-diabetic-coma-to-oscar-winner-halle-berry-s-journey-to-protect-her-kidneys</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6986b857178e52747d879402</guid><pubDate>Sat, 07 Feb 2026 04:01:59 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/834113_c862f31bdd974f9997618aedc62325c8~mv2.webp/v1/fit/w_800,h_533,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Jason Berry</dc:creator></item></channel></rss>