A diagnosis of end-stage kidney disease would frighten anyone, and when Kam Shenai received his in 2020, it terrified him. He found himself dwelling on the fear and uncertainty of the long hours he would spend sitting in a dialysis chair feeling hopeless.

Starting in July 2021, Kam began dialysis, joining approximately half a million Americans undergoing the same treatment. “The medical team knows a lot about dialysis,” he learned, “but only a patient knows what it feels like to sit in that chair three times a week for four hours a session.”

During dialysis, Kam came to a crucial realization documented in his essay “88 Hours…A New Approach to Life.” He explained: “There are 168 hours in one week. I spent 68 hours sleeping, which left 100 waking hours. Minus my 12 hours of dialysis, that left 88 hours. I asked myself, what do I do with those 88 hours? I can do social work, community service, be with grandchildren, and do kidney advocacy work. … And that gave birth to my advocacy.”

Kam comes from a family where education is paramount. With degrees from India, UC Berkeley and the Rochester Institute of Technology, he spent 30 years in corporate leadership before retiring. His family – his wife of 53 years, a son, a daughter and four grandchildren – kept him grounded throughout his kidney journey. “My wife has always been my anchor, and now she has become my caregiver. Without her, I wouldn’t have survived,” he says.

On Sept. 23, 2023 – Kam received a call at 6:30 a.m.: “This is Michelle from Tampa General Hospital. We have a kidney for you.”

With that call, his life changed. “It changed because of an individual who had signed up to donate his organs after his passing,” Kam said. “I remain ever grateful to him for allowing me to live.”

Kam’s advocacy took on new urgency. Engaging, educating and empowering others became the core of his efforts.

“Three statistics perplex me about kidney disease,” Kam says. “Thirty-seven million people have chronic kidney disease – 90% are unaware of it. Ninety thousand Americans await a kidney transplant, with 13 dying every day during the three- to five-year wait. And we spend approximately $130 billion on this disease – nearly 24% of our Medicare budget…how could this be?”

During his kidney journey, Kam reflected on America’s overall healthcare landscape. “We spend $4.7 trillion on healthcare,” he observes. “However, our administrative bloat, pharmaceutical pricing structure, and fragmented care waste nearly a trillion dollars. Meanwhile, 28 million lack insurance, half a million families face medical bankruptcy annually, rural hospitals close, and we face critical shortages of doctors and nurses.”

Kam adds, “We don’t need more money – we need the political courage to confront this dysfunction and transform this broken system.”

As Kam continues to advocate for kidney health and systemic healthcare reform, he leaves us with a simple yet profound philosophy: give back plenty, get involved and make a difference.