Hi, 👋 I’m Samer Bazzi. In 2016, my world shattered when I was diagnosed with a rare disease called membranous nephropathy, a disorder where the body’s immune system attacks the filtering membranes of the kidney. After the root cause of my chronic kidney disease (CKD) was discovered and the proper interventions implemented, my kidneys fully recovered. Today I’m healthier than I’ve ever been. I promised myself that if I recovered, I would make it my life’s work to be an advocate for those battling kidney disease. I want to leave the world better than I found it. So, for the past five years, I have dedicated every waking second to educating myself on fighting kidney disease and building something special for those less fortunate.
This project has so many components and has been many years in the making… In the coming months, my team and I will be making big announcements and releasing exciting new resources to help eradicate kidney disease once and for all!
Here is the first of the many reveals to come in the months ahead…
We are creating the 1st Job Portal for CKD Patients.
I was able to continue working while battling my disease due to the flexibility freelance work provided me amid medical appointments, procedures, and prioritizing my newfound healthy lifestyle habits. In fact, I’ve earned more than $2 Million on Upwork over the past 12 years.
I want every person diagnosed with CKD to know they have the same opportunity, especially the nearly 800,000 Americans¹ living with end stage kidney disease. I am working with a dedicated team to build a unique job portal to fulfill this mission. This job portal will contain an extensive job board that will aggregate freelance work opportunities with the sole purpose of supporting and empowering those afflicted with CKD, including individuals on dialysis.
The key to helping those with CKD (and especially those on dialysis) is not just finding a job. It’s about finding work that fits into their schedule and around their health-related obligations.
It’s about sustainable success.
Our job portal’s search engine filters freelance work and makes it customizable to each user’s needs and skills by:
We’ve also considered the possible barriers of lacking resources (e.g., a laptop) or the education/skills required for freelance work. Therefore, within this portal, there are resources dedicated to addressing these barriers and tools to empower users to further their education or achieve a certification.
CKD is when the kidneys are damaged to the extent that they’re unable to properly filter blood. Once the kidneys’ filtration ability is reduced to a certain level, there are two options to replace the work normally done by the kidneys:
71%1 of those with end stage kidney disease receive dialysis treatments2, which includes either:
So, CKD individuals are severely encumbered in their daily and professional lives due to:
A study3 published less than a year ago found that American dialysis patients with Stage 5 CKD had the lowest self-reported employment rate, at only 20%, among the six countries examined in the cohort. A diagnosis of Stage 5 CKD automatically qualifies an individual on dialysis to receive government disability benefits. According to Bethany K. Laurence4, Attorney, “Most SSDI recipients receive between $700 and $1,400 per month. But if you're receiving disability payments from other sources, your payment may be reduced.”
No one should be forced to choose between their health (and survival) and their earning potential. Freelancing patients can make the most of their time by working on their laptops during (and beyond) the dialysis process. Freelance work enables financial freedom and consequently improves morale, productivity, and personal contribution while lowering money-related stress and hardship.
Remember: freelance work is always an option—and a fantastic one. In fact, while still collecting disability income, someone on dialysis with Stage 5 CKD can still earn an income from doing freelance work, so long as it does not exceed the government’s determined "Substantial Gainful Activity" monthly threshold5: $1,350 (if blind, this increases to $2,260).
Now that you understand the problem on a larger scale, let me tell you what I’m doing about it:
There’s one last critical component needed to make this a success: You.
The 37 million people living with chronic kidney disease in the United States need your help. This project extends far beyond you and me. To accomplish all these endeavors on a scale that will truly help those with CKD, we need to come together on this. Even the smallest contribution can help make a big difference. Consider the following ideas that will enable us to make an impact:
Donate to the Moon Shot Cures nonprofit.
Share this with anyone (or everyone!) you know.
Follow this cause on social media.
I fiercely believe that we each have it in us to help make the world a better place. Please consider joining us in this fight to save lives, better the quality of life of those with CKD, and better our world by preventing kidney disease. It’s time to make a difference!
Sources:
1. https://www.niddk.nih.gov/health-information/health-statistics/kidney-disease 2. https://www.niddk.nih.gov/health-information/kidney-disease/kidney-failure/choosing-treatment 3. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33872688/ 4. https://www.disabilitysecrets.com/how-much-in-ssd.html 5. https://www.ssa.gov/oact/cola/sga.html
