“When I see Grace, the first word that comes to mind is “sparkly”. She always radiates positive energy. Her diagnosis of focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS) at age thirteen changed her life. There were good days, but there were many bad days too. Gradually the treatment options in our arsenal emptied and her FSGS advanced to end stage renal disease. It was sad when this happened. I cannot even imagine what she must have felt going through this, or the pain her parents experienced seeing her struggles. But every cloud has a silver lining. Grace is one of the many children and adults who have selflessly volunteered to be a part of CureGN in order to advance science. Just like all participants, she dedicates her time, effort and commitment knowing breakthroughs may not occur for years to come. She participates recognizing that slowly but surely, the outcomes for glomerular disease will change. I am thankful to all of our patients for the shared vision that the only way to change things is to be part of a collective working towards a common goal, over years to come.” 

Myda Khalid, MD,
Associate Professor of Clinical Pediatrics
Associate Program Director, Pediatric Nephrology Fellowship Program
Department of Pediatric Nephrology and Hypertension