In 1964, a group of dedicated individuals from Montreal got together to establish what was then called The Kidney Disease Foundation of Canada. Their objective was to raise money for research into kidney disease, as there was little research being carried out in Canada at that time. Thousands of Canadians suffered from kidney-related disorders, such as kidney stones and bladder cancer. Only half of kidney transplants were successful. Dialysis treatments were reduced to approximately 12 hours a week.
Kidney stones are preventable and curable.
In the future, knowledge of genetics may help prevent some forms of hereditary kidney disease. Diabetic kidney disease will be slowed or stopped. Dialysis and transplantation may no longer be necessary for many forms of kidney disease as there will be an effective treatment. In fulfilling our advocacy mission, The Kidney Foundation recognized that an important first step was the development of fundamental principles of care. The document, Principles of Care for Chronic Renal Insufficiency , provides the basic orientation for our advocacy efforts on behalf of people living with kidney disease.