Monday, we went to the National Kidney Foundation serving the National Capital Area's fourth annual Congressional Dinner at The Liaison Capitol Hill. Here, former Wisconsin governor and Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy G. Thompson, NKF/NCA executive director Michele Anthony, NKF national board chair Art Pasquarella and NKF CEO Kevin Longino.
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The dinner honored Rep. Jaime Herrea Beutler (R-Wash.) for her work as a champion of the millions of Americans affected by kidney disease and organ transplantation. Thompson chaired the event, where guests enjoyed cocktails and dinner, and mixed and mingled with fellow government relations professionals representing a variety of industries and issue areas. Gordon Lambourne, a kidney and pancreas transplant recipient, served as the mission speaker. Lambourne’s wife, Marcy, donated a kidney to him when testing indicated that they were almost a perfect match. Here, BuzzFeed News political reporter Darren Sands, event emcee ABC7 anchor and reporter Jummy Olabanji and Lambourne, who works at the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation.
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Herrera Beutler, above, also has a close kidney donation story in her family. Four years ago, when she was pregnant with her first child, she and her husband received the devastating news that their baby had no kidneys, a condition known as Potter’s syndrome with a 100% fatality rate. Instead of just accepting the dire prognosis, the couple decided to keep fighting — and subsequently learned of a simple treatment (saline injections into the womb) that ultimately saved their baby’s life. Abigail Beutler is the first child with Potter's syndrome known to have survived, and last year, she finally got a kidney, from her dad, after nearly three years on dialysis.
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Proceeds from the dinner go to support the National Kidney Foundation’s programs. The NKF is the leading organization in the U.S. dedicated to the awareness, prevention and treatment of kidney disease for hundreds of thousands of healthcare professionals, millions of patients and their families, and tens of millions of Americans at risk. Here, Mosaic Technology Group's Chauncey Dockins, Lambda Gamma Gamma Chapter of Omega Psi Phi's Tommie Bennett and Business Integrators' Mo Stewart.
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