Get Inspired to Write

Thank you for your interest in submitting your story to the RKD & Me campaign! Your contribution is instrumental in enabling people to understand what it is like living with or caring for someone with RKD. The public, healthcare providers, colleagues, and sometimes even friends and family don't fully understand. When we take the time to reflect and write, we provide a glimpse of what it's really like.

And we help others living with RKD feel less alone. We encourage you - join the movement. Share a piece of your experience through writing, and help raise awareness and understanding of RKD. Here are some prompts to help get you started:

A letter written to your younger self: To help inspire the telling of your RKD story, take a moment to reflect on your experience with RKD (rare kidney disease) through a written letter to your younger self.

  • What was it like to first learn about your RKD diagnosis, or the diagnosis of a loved one?
  • What were some moments when you felt most challenged living with, or caring for someone living with RKD?
  • How has RKD impacted your family, relationships, work, career, hobbies, or other meaningful areas of your life?
  • What is one thing you would want your younger self to know about life right now?

A poem: Share your experience living with rare kidney disease, or caregiving for someone living with RKD, through poetry of any kind – whether it's a few or many lines.

A journal entry: Reflect on your RKD odyssey through a journal entry using one, or several, of the prompts below.

  • What has been most meaningful to you during your experience with RKD?
  • What's a time you felt most proud of yourself?
  • What is one thing you want someone who is newly diagnosed with RKD to know?
  • Is there anything new or interesting that you learned about yourself throughout your experience with RKD?
  • What was the first time you recall when your disease, or the disease of your loved one, started to impact your daily life and decision-making?
  • What kind of support did you have along your RKD journey? What kind of support do you wish you'd had?
  • If you could give yourself an award about living with RKD, what would it be called?
“It might be hard to see it now, but it’s going to be OK. There are things you can do, people you will meet on your journey, and a lot of great things coming down the road.” – Kimberly H.