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To help show support to families with members who have compromised immune system issues during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, Alamo-based nonprofit the Nephrotic Syndrome Foundation (NSF) has launched a program to send fun patient cards to children across the country.
Launched as a way to help families feeling heightened senses of anxiety due to the pandemic, nonprofit officials say that they have sent 350 personalized cards to children across the country, with each card including a note written by a NSF volunteer, a coloring page, NSF sticker, 2 pages of quarantine activity ideas for kids at home as well as information on NSF’s “Virtual Patient Support” offerings.
“Kids and families in this situation are dealing with fear and anxiety as they contemplate the risks and landscape ahead” says Andi Callaway, president and founder of The Nephrotic Syndrome Foundation. “Most will face quarantine and isolation for months and weeks after restrictions are lifted.”
The Alamo-based NSF was founded in 2017 after Callaway’s son was diagnosed with Nephrotic syndrome, a rare autoimmune disease that affects the kidneys causing them to stop working. According to nonprofit officials, Nephrotic syndrome makes patients particularly susceptible to viruses such as COVID-19.
“For these families, all of whom have children on immune-suppressant medications, the threat of COVID-19 is real. The impact could be devastating. Precautions most people are taking now for the first time, are part of daily life for these kids and families, required simply to operate in society, even without the threat of a pandemic,” NSF officials said.
The group is dedicated to supporting patients and their families who have been afflicted with Nephrotic syndrome, doing so through a series of programs and special events — although public events such as the foundation’s major annual fundraiser ‘Game Day’, have been canceled due to the ongoing pandemic.
In addition to providing connection and support for patients and families, NSF offers seven programs to support families with a child diagnosed with Nephrotic syndrome including Backpacks of Hope, Camp NSF, the Thermometer Program and Direct Patient Grants to name a few.
Residents interested in learning more about NSF or donating to support its programs are encouraged to visit the group online at www.nephroticsyndromefoundation.org.
