NxStage Patient and Advocate Brian Hess Receives Prestigious Honor from American Association of Kidney Patients

LAWRENCE, Mass., Aug. 29, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- NxStage® Medical, Inc. (Nasdaq: NXTM), a leading manufacturer of innovative dialysis products, today announced that the American Association of Kidney Patients (AAKP) has honored NxStage System One™ patient Brian Hess with the Samuel J. Orenstein Award. The award is presented each year to the AAKP member who consistently provides extraordinary service in helping the organization achieve its goals to educate and improve the health and well-being of chronic kidney disease patients.

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An impassioned and dedicated patient advocate, Hess has lived with End Stage Renal Disease (ESRD), or kidney failure, since the age of six. Hess was recognized during the AAKP 39^th Annual Patient Meeting held in Atlanta, Georgia August 9-11, 2012.

Since 2007, Hess, 31, has been a member of ESRD Network 13, a nonprofit organization dedicated to assisting dialysis facilities and kidney transplant centers in their efforts to provide quality care for patients with ESRD in the states of Arkansas, Louisiana and Oklahoma. On behalf of AAKP, Hess serves as a volunteer speaker and as a liaison to the patient community, while also sharing his insights with physicians and other care providers to foster collaboration that will improve dialysis care. Hess also spends time with young patients to help ease their transition from pediatric to adult dialysis centers.

Hess is committed to empowering patients through education so that they can make fully-informed choices about their lifestyle management and therapy options, including home hemodialysis. Kidney Failure Won't Stop Me, an informative guide that Hess authored on the therapy options available to patients and what to expect when starting dialysis, was published this past July.

"I am truly honored to be recognized by the AAKP," said Hess. "I feel fortunate that my care providers informed me about the benefits of home hemodialysis and NxStage, but too many patients lack this education. This needs to change and I hope that through sharing my story and knowledge that I can create awareness and help as many fellow patients as possible to live their lives with better health and freedom."

Hess has undergone three kidney transplants. He began dialysis treatments at age 10, utilizing conventional in-center dialysis and peritoneal dialysis at home. In February, he transitioned to more frequent home hemodialysis with the NxStage System One. Throughout his health challenges, Hess kept a positive attitude and remained active. He graduated as a co-valedictorian of his high school class and recently graduated from the University of Oklahoma with a degree in biology and English. He currently has a career in the healthcare field, is an avid bicycler, and is authoring his second book.

"Brian's voice and insight is inspirational to care providers, patients and their families and the renal health community as a whole as we work to increase awareness of all of the therapy options available to patients, including home hemodialysis," said Jeffrey H. Burbank, Chief Executive Officer of NxStage. "Brian is a worthy recipient of this prestigious award and we commend his achievements and commitment to helping educate dialysis patients."

For more information on the American Association of Kidney Patients, visit: http://www.aakp.org/.

About the NxStage System One

The NxStage System One is the first and only truly portable hemodialysis system cleared for home use by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA). Its simplicity and revolutionary size (just over a foot tall) are intended to allow convenient use in patients' homes and give patients the freedom to travel with their therapy.   When combined with the NxStage Pureflow SL Dialysis Preparation System, patients are able to further simplify, using ordinary tap water to create dialysis fluid on demand.  Unlike conventional hemodialysis systems, the System One requires no special infrastructure to operate. Under the guidance of their physician, patients can use the NxStage System One, with their trained partners, where, how and when it best meets their needs, at home or on vacation. http://www.nxstage.com/.

About NxStage Medical

NxStage Medical, Inc. (Nasdaq:NXTM) is a medical device company, headquartered in Lawrence, Massachusetts, USA, that develops, manufactures and markets innovative systems for the treatment of end-stage renal disease, or ESRD, and acute kidney failure. NxStage is leading the development of the home hemodialysis market in the US with the only portable hemodialysis machine, the System One, cleared for home use by the FDA. For more information on NxStage and its products, please visit the company's website at http://www.nxstage.com/.

Forward-Looking Statements

This release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. All statements contained in this release that are not clearly historical in nature are forward-looking, and the words "anticipate," "believe," "expect," "estimate," "plan," and similar expressions are generally intended to identify forward-looking statements. Actual results may differ materially from those indicated by these forward-looking statements as a result of various important factors including those that are discussed in NxStage's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including the Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended June 30, 2012. NxStage is under no obligation to (and expressly disclaims any such obligation to) update or alter its forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

Kristen K. Sheppard, Esq.
VP, Investor Relations
[email protected]

SOURCE NxStage Medical, Inc.