Eugene Blankenship has witnessed the struggles dialysis patients deal with for his entire life. Kidney disease runs in his family, and he lost both his father and grandfather to complications from kidney disease. Eugene was diagnosed with polycystic kidney disease himself while on a camping trip in 2003. Since then, he has devoted himself to helping others affected by kidney disease, first as a DPC patient advocate and now as a member of our Board of Directors. Most patients have limited access to their representatives in Congress, so Eugene wants to play a part in ensuring that every patient’s unique [...]

Terry Peeler has devoted his life to public service, working for 25 years as a firefighter paramedic before kidney disease forced him to retire in October 2016. During his career in public service, Terry was appointed as the first African American full-time fire chief and paramedic in Sumter County, Alabama in 2000. He has also held roles as both Sumter County Coroner and Sumter County Sheriff. Having been used to serving others, the adjustment to needing assistance in his own care was a difficult shift. He now had to make a 72-mile round trip three times every week to undergo [...]

Raymond has been battling kidney failure for 22 years, and he credits the last eight of those to his home hemodialysis treatments. Raymond has a distinguished career as a dialysis and kidney disease advocate. Since his kidneys failed him at age 29, he has dedicated his life to helping others with kidney disease. In 2016 he was a Celebrity Star Dancer with the National Kidney Foundation’s Arizona Dancing With The Stars. Along with his beloved wife, Analyn, Raymond Co-founded 1in9 Charities, Inc, a nonprofit organization committed to creating hope and changing the trajectory of kidney disease. In 2019, Raymond and Analyn [...]

Andrew Conkling Andrew Conkling was elected as the new president for Dialysis Patient Citizens by DPC's Board of Directors, effective immediately. Conkling has served as DPC Vice President since 2016, participated in a number of DPC's Advocacy Days and met with lawmakers to discuss kidney disease issues from his home state of Alabama. He has also served as a DPC Patient Ambassador, clinic patient representative and done community outreach by sharing his personal experiences with young people. "It is an honor to be selected as DPC's Board President. I want to thank Jack Reynolds for his outstanding service as [...]

Dialysis Patient Citizens (DPC) Education Center mourns the sudden passing of Board Member Robert “Bob” Lee, 54. Lee was a dedicated activist from Oregon who played a critical role in educating policy makers about the importance of protecting patient choice and access to care. Specifically, his continuous outreach to Senator Wyden helped secure passage of legislation to open Medicare Advantage to dialysis patients. Lee traveled to Washington, DC multiple times to meet with Members of Congress. He also travelled to Salem to testify at hearings before the state insurance commissioner. His involvement with DPC started when he became a Patient [...]

Dialysis Patient Citizens was saddened to learn of the recent passing of board member Nance Lehman. Nance was a tremendous advocate for ESRD patient across the country and especially in her home state of Montana. Nance met with legislators in Washington D.C. on numerous occasions and was known to move legislative staff with her compelling stories. Most recently, Nance represented the patient perspective as a voting representative of Kidney Care Partners (KCP). Nance was committed to creating a better policy environment for ESRD patients across the country. Her contributions to Dialysis Patient Citizens will always be remembered, and the kidney [...]

The DPC Board of Directors is pleased to announce that Jack Reynolds will serve as Interim President, effective immediately. Reynolds chairs the Board’s Policy Committee and previously served as Vice President. Few have the firsthand experience Reynolds does, having been on dialysis over 40 years. He took on the new role to allow former President Eric Edwards to take an extended leave of absence. Click here to read Reynold’s biography, along with that of the other DPC Board Members.