IGA Nephropathy is a Kidney disease - basically we all have IGA proteins in our body that serve as antibodies/antioxidants. If they don't filter thru our Kidney's, this causes swelling, fatigue, blood in your urine, etc. There is no cure and as your kidneys fail, this leads to dialysis and then a Kidney transplant - but you are not cured, and some people have had as many as 3 transplants.
The IGA Nephropathy Foundation was formed in 2004 when Wall Twsp. resident Bonnie Schneider’s son was diagnosed with IgAN at age 13. She and her husband launched the Foundation from their kitchen table in hopes of helping others like them and funding further research on this rare, chronic kidney disease. They have established a relationship with the NIH, met with the FDA to volunteer being part of a patient test for drugs to help improve the quality of life for patients (which led to there now being 6 approved drugs in Market and 2 more to most likely be approved this year). They also sponsor research at Columbia U and UAB (and they feel they are very close to a potential cure). A few years ago, Wall Twsp. presented the Foundation a proclamation for their commitment to research for a cure, public education, and patient services related to the disease.
