Thank you for being part of our Kidney Companions community.

Here we will provide updates, highlight the people within Kidney Companions, and share stories and actions you can take in a broader community.

Our most recent successful Kidney Companion continues to do well with his new kidney! And his Kidney Companions' team has been with him each step of the way, with several weekly visits and overnight visits to Grand Rapids over the last several weeks. Not only does our Kidney Companion partner continue to gush about the amazing outpouring of support he has received, but we have gotten several positive messages from the Grand Rapids Transplant team about the amazing role of Kidney Companions and the difference you all are making. 

Just this week, another one of our Kidney Companion partners secured an apartment of his own! Yet another important stepping-stone and huge milestone in his long journey toward kidney transplant and health. And thanks to the quick response of our Kidney Companions, Ross and Chris (pictured above), our Kidney Companion partner is now independently settled in his new apartment. 

Join us at Little Fleet — a Pour for More venue.

On the second Thursday of each month, we gather for all who are interested in learning about Kidney Companions. We will always have an existing volunteer there for you to ask questions and listen to their experience. This is a great time to explore your interest in becoming a volunteer or invite someone who you think would be interested.

Our next gathering will be:

Thursday, October 12th

5-7 at Little Fleet

448 E Front St, Traverse City, MI 49686

Introducing Walking with Kidney Companions!

Walk for about 30 minutes with a Kidney Companion.

All walks will be in the Traverse City area and at least one existing vetted Kidney Companion volunteer will be there. The walks are intended to build a habit for patients pre and post transplant surgery as well as be a time to socialize.

Sometimes a walk will be for a larger crowd with the broad community. Often times, we will schedule a walk with a patient close to their home with a smaller group.

Please let us know your interest with this link and we will follow up directly with location and timing of a small group walk.

In recognition of the great work of our Kidney Companions, we have been asked to give the keynote address for the University of Michigan Annual Transplant Symposium, State of the Art: Kidney and Pancreas Transplantation. John and Molly and Angela will be traveling to Novi, Michigan to deliver the keynote address on Thursday, October 19th. We plan to highlight the amazing work of our dedicated volunteers and our many successes over the past year!