The National Kidney Foundation Honors Pediatric Dialysis Nurse with Mattix Award

NEW YORK, Jan. 11, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Each year The National Kidney Foundation (NKF) considers the work of hundreds of specialists in the field of Nephrology and selects among them those who most exemplify the relentless efforts of NKF to enhance the lives of patients through action, education, and accelerating change.

The prestigious awards are presented to the recipients during the annual gathering of clinicians and kidney health professionals at the NKF 2022 Spring Clinical Meetings, which will be held on April 6-10, 2022, in Boston.

The Council of Nephrology Nurses and Technicians created an honor in the name of Carol Mattix, a home dialysis training nurse of the last century who worked tirelessly to improve the lives of kidney patients. The 2022 recipient of the Carol Mattix award is Cheyenne Fasce, BSN, RN, Pediatric Hemodialysis & Peritoneal Dialysis Nurse and Nurse Trainer DCI at Upstate University Hospital, Syracuse, NY. She receives this award for her unwavering advocacy on behalf of her patients as she consistently seeks ways to improve their lives while also spreading awareness about pediatric kidney disease.

"I am passionate about kidney health and kidney disease simply because I have seen how devastating its effects can be on patients and their families," Fasce said. "Pediatrics have a special place in my heart because I am a mother and imagining how difficult it must be to have a child with a life-altering, incurable illness drives me to do all that I can to help. This award is also very meaningful to me because it will bring awareness to the special population that I serve, which is Pediatric End-Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) patients," she said. "There is little awareness in the general public and in healthcare that children can suffer from this condition, or that it may occur suddenly and without much warning."

With more than 11 years of experience working as a nurse, Cheyenne found her true calling when she began working with dialysis patients. Over the past five years, she has worked with those with acute and chronic disease, both pediatric and adult cases. Her persistence and hard work have allowed her to help patients in unique ways. She is currently pursuing her Master of Science degree as a nurse practitioner.

"Cheyenne's relentless drive to make the world a better place for dialysis patients is apparent in everything she does," said NKF President Paul Palevsky, MD. "She has played an integral part in developing and growing the outpatient pediatric dialysis programs and the upstate New York community is all the better because of her work. It is clear that Cheyenne is always thinking ahead for the next best way she can advocate for patients."

"The National Kidney Foundation is an incredible organization that has been a valuable resource throughout my career as a nurse," Fasce said. "This group has made an immeasurable impact on the families I know coping with this disease. I can't tell you how many times I have been approached by a parent who told me that the highlight of their week is logging into NKF's online community and talking to other parents who can really understand what they are going through."

NKF Spring Clinical Meetings
For the past 30 years, nephrology healthcare professionals from across the country have come to NKF's Spring Clinical Meetings to learn about the newest developments related to all aspects of nephrology practice; network with colleagues; and present their research findings. The NKF Spring Clinical Meetings are designed for meaningful change in the multidisciplinary healthcare teams' skills, performance, and patient health outcomes. It is the only conference of its kind that focuses on translating science into practice for the entire healthcare team. This year's event will be held in Boston, April 6-10.

About Kidney Disease
In the United States, 37 million adults are estimated to have kidney disease, also known as chronic kidney disease (CKD)—and approximately 90 percent don't know they have it.  1 in 3 adults in the U.S. are at risk for kidney disease. Risk factors for kidney disease include: diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, obesity, and family history. People of Black/African American, Hispanic/Latino, American Indian/Alaska Native, Asian American, or Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander descent are at increased risk for developing the disease. Black/African American people are more than 3 times as likely as White people to have kidney failure. Hispanics/Latinos are 1.3 times more likely than non-Hispanics to have kidney failure.

NKF Professional Membership
Healthcare professionals can join NKF to receive access to tools and resources for both patients and professionals, discounts on professional education, and access to a network of thousands of individuals who treat patients with kidney disease. 

About the National Kidney Foundation
The National Kidney Foundation (NKF) is the largest, most comprehensive, and longstanding patient-centric organization dedicated to the awareness, prevention, and treatment of kidney disease in the U.S. For more information about NKF, visit www.kidney.org.

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SOURCE The National Kidney Foundation