My name is Deanna Phaneuf, and I am a Dialysis Patient Educator. I am reaching out to you today because we need your help.

As part of my work at St. Paul’s, I educate patients on dialysis that they can complete at home. This life-saving treatment removes waste and fluid from the body when patients’ kidneys are no longer able to. But beginning dialysis means that our patients’ lives change overnight. If they need to come into a health care center to receive their treatment, it can mean they must travel hundreds of kilometers and spend many hours a week away from their homes, their livelihoods, and their families. 

Currently, 1 in 10 residents of Saskatchewan suffer from chronic kidney disease, and the number of patients needing dialysis in Saskatoon and the North has increased 50% in the last decade. 

This is why our work as Dialysis Patient Educators is so essential. Home-based hemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis therapies are an option for many of our patients, dramatically improving their quality of life and significantly lowering the cost to both patients and the health care system. Still, patients often avoid this option because managing such an important treatment at home can feel too overwhelming. 

We know that supporting patients with quality care and education can make all the difference, empowering them to follow the best treatment option for themselves and their families. 

Our long-time patient Jillian Lazurko, along with her mom Corinne, know first-hand the impact that education can have: 

I want to support patients like Jillian!  (Click here to learn more about Jillian's story.)

St. Paul’s Hospital Foundation has recently launched the By Your Side Kidney Care Campaign. As a part of the Campaign, we will raise $8 million to develop Saskatchewan’s first Kidney Health and Education Centre. 

The Kidney Health and Education Centre, which will include an innovative Transition Program, will centralize services within St. Paul’s Hospital, streamlining care and allowing our talented health care teams to spend more time focusing on their patients. It will help patients understand their condition and all the treatment options available to them, allow healthcare teams to support more patients in accessing care at home, and give those living with a diagnosis of chronic kidney disease the tools to manage their health. In the Center, patients will have access to many different services and professionals, including pharmacists, nurses, dieticians, nephrologists, and social workers. 

Your gift will help us to create a compassionate and dedicated environment that provides personalized care and training for patients and families facing a diagnosis of kidney failure.

Every day I work with patients that have been diagnosed with chronic kidney disease and I see the challenges they face. 

We know that the Kidney Health and Education Centre and new Transition Program will truly change lives. So do Don and Janet Neufeld and Family. That’s why the Neufeld Family, generous and long-time donors to our Foundation, have graciously offered to match your gift. They care deeply about our community and strongly believe in the spirit of helping others. 

Because of their thoughtfulness, your donation will double in value up to $100,000. 

You can be a part of St. Paul’s kidney health legacy; give $50, $75 or even $100 today!

We truly appreciate you giving the gift of kidney health this holiday season.

We wish you a healthy and joyful Christmas!

Deanna Phaneuf, Patient Educator – Dialysis

St. Paul’s Hospital