Recording Artist and Patient Advocate David RUSH Joins NxStage to Raise Awareness of HHD at National Kidney Foundation Kidney Walk

LAWRENCE, Mass., Oct. 12, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- NxStage® Medical, Inc. (Nasdaq: NXTM), a leading manufacturer of innovative dialysis products, will participate in the National Kidney Foundation (NKF) New York City Kidney Walk with an on-site patient education tent and a team of company walking volunteers joined by Pitbull's recording artist David RUSH, a former NxStage® System One™ patient.

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The National Kidney Foundation's Kidney Walk brings together kidney patients, transplant recipients, donors, families, the medical and business communities and the general public to raise awareness and funds in the fight against kidney disease, and to promote organ donation. Walks are scheduled throughout the country from February through October. The New York City 5K walk will take place Sunday, October 14 at the South Street Seaport in Manhattan.

As a regional sponsor of the NKF Kidney Walks in the Northeast, NxStage will host a patient education tent at the event featuring materials and patient advocates to help patients, caregivers and the public learn about home hemodialysis with the System One, and participate in the walk.  

To highlight these efforts, NxStage team member, RUSH, 30, will share his experiences as a NxStage System One home hemodialysis dialyzor and subsequent transplant patient. RUSH adopted home hemodialysis because his three-times-a-week in-center treatment schedule left him feeling ill and fatigued; imposing a significant burden on his musical career that included touring with renowned hip hop artist Pitbull. In 2010, RUSH received a kidney transplant from his brother, Dwaine, who will also attend the event. RUSH believes that more frequent treatments with the NxStage System One helped him to increase his energy, enabling him to lose weight and improve his health enough to qualify for a kidney transplant. Recently, he and his wife, Naomi, welcomed their second child.

"As a former dialysis patient, I am fortunate to have learned about my therapy options and was empowered to choose the treatment that best fit my lifestyle, which was home hemodialysis," said David RUSH. "I believe the improved health I experienced thanks to more frequent treatment helped me to qualify for the transplant I am thankful for today. I now hope to raise awareness for others to prevent kidney disease, to know all their therapy options and to encourage organ donation. The NKF walk is an important event in the kidney community that unites patients, families, caregivers and many others to work toward these shared goals."

"David RUSH is proof positive that education and awareness about dialysis therapy  options, including home hemodialysis, are essential if patients are to be truly empowered to achieve both better healthcare and an optimal quality-of-life," said Jeffrey H. Burbank, Chief Executive Officer of NxStage Medical. "Our team is proud to join with David and hundreds of others in the kidney community for the NKF walk, which is a signature event in our combined efforts to improve the treatment of kidney disease."

This year, the New York City Kidney Walk will be hosted by actor, comedian and host of NBC-TV's "America's Got Talent," Nick Cannon. After being hospitalized last winter for acute kidney injury and diagnosed with lupus nephritis, Cannon is participating in this year's walk to raise awareness about kidneys and kidney disease.

To learn more about the New York City Kidney Walk 2012 or to support Team NxStage visit: http://donate.kidney.org/site/TR?pg=team&fr_id=4920&team_id=121652.

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.