Dialysis Patient Citizens and the DPC Education Center are saddened to learn of the passing of board member Christina Esposito, 37. Christina was a tremendous advocate for ESRD patients across the country and especially in her home state of New York. She had four kidney transplants over the course of her young life which lasted a total of approximately nine years. For about another twenty-five years prior to, sometimes during, and post failed kidney transplants she dialyzed. Christina experienced and mastered every modality ranging from in hospital Peritoneal Dialysis (PD), to Continuous Ambulatory Peritoneal Dialysis (CAPD) at home, to Hemodialysis in hospital and then in center, to Home Conventional Dialysis, to Nocturnal Hemodialysis, to Self-Care In-Center Dialysis, and finally, to Short Daily Hemodialysis on the NxStage machine. It was not unusual see amazement in the faces of staff and doctors when she setup, put in and later took out her own dialysis needles, connected herself to the dialysis machine, and ran her own treatment. She set up her own intravenous lines and dispensed her own medications like antibiotics, iron and epogen. She was an expert in all modalities and often taught techs, nurses, interns, residents, and attending doctors the details of how to run their own dialysis machines.
She was always interested in being an advocate for patients’ independence and self-care. That is why Christina was excited to join DPC in 2009 as a Patient Ambassador and quickly became a leader in the Patient Ambassador program, becoming the New York team leader and testifying on Capitol Hill about the importance of home hemodialysis. In 2011, she joined the Board of Directors and brought her dedication for patient education and empowerment to help guide the future of DPC.
She went all the way through Master’s degree at the top of her class in every school she attended, graduating Summa Cum Laude throughout. In the face of all her health issues she won many awards for scholarship and for service to the community. Always the advocate for the patients’ rights she was convinced the more a patient knew about their options the better quality of life they could have. Choices, to her, equated to freedom… she wanted that for all. Therefore, she was thrilled to become a founding Board Member involved in the creation of the DPC Education Center. Christina was committed to creating the best possible policy environment for ESRD patients across the country. Her contributions to Dialysis Patient Citizens will always be remembered and the kidney community will miss her dedication to kidney care issues.
