Remembering Kids and Kidneys (1998-2004)

During the years my Mom was a Pediatric Nurse in the Nephrology Department at Mary Bridge Children’s Hospital, she planned and organized annual Kids & Kidneys events. Each child that had received care or was receiving care at the Nephrology Department was invited along with their families to participate in the annual event funded by donations from various sources, including Mary Bridge Children’s Hospital, Genetech, and her own personal funds. Usually the events were held in August and each one was in a location outside of the hospital where kids would be able to play and learn. Each year the event became more successful and many children and their families returned year after year.

In 1998, the first annual Kids & Kidneys event was held at The Tacoma Nature Center. When the children and their families arrived, they got their picture taken and made a button with their name on it and pinned it to their shirts. They also were encouraged to fill out an “Ask The Doctor” note card and put it in a box. They could anonymously ask the Nephrology Doctors, who worked in the clinic with my Mom and were invited to the events every year, a question about anything whether it had to do with their kidney disease or if they simply wanted to know something funny about the Doctors.

Tables were set up in the main room and the children and their families were encouraged to sit down and meet one another or tour the Nature Center where they found various exhibits about local wildlife and where volunteers were staffed to lead activities for the kids. Eventually everyone would gather in the main room and sit down for a catered meal and afterwards the Doctors would pull out the “Ask The Doctor” note cards and begin answering each question that the children proposed. Also, each child was called on individually to receive a Kids & Kidneys Certificate of Appreciation. The first annual Kids & Kidneys event set the bar for the events in the years to come.

The second and third annual (1999 and 2000) Kids & Kidneys events were held at the Tacoma Point Defiance Zoo. The children and their families were encouraged to wander through the Zoo and look at all the exhibits and Zoo staff was on hand to provide educational materials and information about each one. A tent was set up on one of the lawns where the children and their families gathered for a BBQ. While the families ate, similar activities to that of the ones at the Tacoma Nature Center were incorporated. We did an “Ask The Doctor” segment and handed out Certificates of Appreciation to all the kids.

After the dinner, a surprise slideshow was presented. The slideshow was comprised of the pictures of the families from the previous years Kids & Kidneys events and special music accompanied each segment of the slideshow. Thanks to the technology department for putting the slideshow together, it was always a big success and a slideshow was incorporated in every event in the years to come.

In 2001, the fourth annual Kids & Kidneys event was held at the Washington State History Museum. As the families arrived, they were encouraged to tour the exhibits at the Museum. By the fourth year, the traditions established during the first annual Kids & Kidneys events were well established.

The fifth annual Kids & Kidneys event was held at the Cheney Stadium in Tacoma in 2002 and the event was a Tacoma Rainier's Baseball game. Before the game, the children got to meet the mascot, Rhubarb the Reindeer. Erica was the photographer for this event, as she was for all the other events, and took pictures of the families while they met a few Tacoma Rainier's players.

In 2003, the sixth annual Kids & Kidneys event was held at the Tacoma Museum of Glass. The highlight for the kids during this event was the special room the could enter to learn about the art of blowing glass. Each child and their family was fascinated by this event.

The last Kids & Kidneys event was held in 2005. It was suiting that the era of Kids & Kidneys ended back at the Tacoma Nature Center. The highlight of this event was the slideshow that I made for my Mom. We took the pictures that had been taken from all the years of events and my Mom took pictures of her patients at work. We combined them, from then to now, and it showed how each child grew up over the years. We also honored the patients that passed away. It was a very touching event.

The Kids & Kidneys events are a testament of how dedicated and compassionate my Mom was. Our goal for Teresa's Fund is to bring back a similar event like the Kids & Kidneys event and extend it to all kids at Mary Bridge Hospital. We look forward to raising funds and doing events at all these locations and many more.

(Written By Jennifer Simek)