Celebrity Chef Aaron McCargo Jr. Gets Tested for Kidney Disease During National Kidney Month
March 17 2014 - 1:16PM
Business Wire
McCargo Joins Fresenius Medical Care to Urge
Those at Risk To Schedule a Quick, Easy Screening for Chronic
Kidney Disease
Chef Aaron McCargo, Jr. has met a lot of people with kidney
failure in recent years, while working with Fresenius Medical Care
North America (FMCNA) to develop and share recipes and healthy
cooking tips for people on dialysis. But until recently, he’d never
been tested for chronic kidney disease (CKD), a progressive loss of
kidney function that can take place over a period of months or
years.
Celebrity Chef Aaron McCargo, Jr. was
tested for chronic kidney disease during National Kidney Month and
he urges others to be screened. He has met many people with kidney
failure as part of his partnership with Fresenius Medical Care to
create dialysis friendly recipes for patients. (Photo: Business
Wire)
McCargo knows, however, that as an African American, his risk of
developing CKD is higher than average. This increased risk is
linked directly to higher rates of diabetes and high blood pressure
for African Americans, the two leading causes of kidney disease. So
in preparation for National Kidney Month this March, he asked his
family doctor for a CKD test as part of his regular checkup.
It took less than two minutes for a nurse to draw a small amount
of blood from his arm, he recalls, and “before you know it, I was
on my way with a Band-Aid.” The next day, he learned that his blood
levels of urea, creatinine and other waste products were normal, as
was his glomerular filtration rate (GFR), which indicated his
kidneys were healthy.
“I’m doing a lot better than I thought,” says McCargo, host of
Food Network’s “Big Daddy’s House” cooking show. While relieved to
hear that his own kidneys are in good shape, he strongly encourages
others – especially high-risk individuals with diabetes or high
blood pressure – to be regularly screened for CKD.
More than 26 million Americans have CKD, which often goes
undiagnosed in its initial stages when many people do not have
symptoms. It’s important to detect the disease as early as
possible, since early treatment with medication, exercise and diet
changes may be able to slow its progression. Once the disease
progresses to kidney failure, the only options for survival are
dialysis treatments or a kidney transplant.
“We appreciate Chef McCargo’s efforts to raise awareness about
CKD testing during this year’s National Kidney Month,” says Dr.
Dugan W. Maddux, vice president of Kidney Disease Initiatives at
FMCNA. “As his experience shows, getting screened for CKD is fast
and easy, and for some people, it may literally save their
lives.”
For more information about kidney disease and its treatments,
visit FMCNA’s website at www.ultracare-dialysis.com; if you or a
family member are at risk for CKD, please schedule a doctor’s visit
and get screened. For more information on National Kidney Month,
please visit www.ultracare-dialysis.com/kidneymonth.
About Fresenius Medical Care North America
Through our leading network of more than 2,150 dialysis
facilities in North America and our vascular access centers,
laboratory, pharmacy and affiliated hospitals and nephrology
practices, Fresenius Medical Care provides renal services to
hundreds of thousands of people throughout the United States,
Mexico and Canada. We are also the continent’s top producer of
dialysis equipment, dialyzers and related disposable products and a
major supplier of renal pharmaceuticals.
For more information about the company, visit www.fmcna.com; for
information about patient services, visit
www.ultracare-dialysis.com.
About Chef Aaron McCargo, Jr.
Chef Aaron McCargo, Jr. competed on and won season four of “The
Next Food Network Star” in 2008, beating out thousands of culinary
hopefuls for the ultimate dream job – his own Food Network show.
“Big Daddy’s House” premiered in 2008 and continues to be a
success. On “Big Daddy’s House,” Aaron shares his passion for big,
bold flavors and fun, family cooking, bringing a down-to-earth vibe
and warm smile to the kitchen. He recently published his first
cookbook, “Simply Done, Well Done.” Whether cooking for his
children, relatives, friends, or even himself, big food and big fun
reign supreme. FMCNA and Aaron have been working together since
2011 to encourage dialysis patients to get back in the kitchen by
developing dishes with big, bold flavors that they can enjoy, while
still adhering to the restrictions of their dialysis diets.
Photos/Multimedia Gallery Available:
http://www.businesswire.com/multimedia/home/20140317006102/en/
Media contact:Full & ByHeather Smith, 1-617-638-0022
/ voicesmithh@fullandby.coorCompany contact:Fresenius
Medical CareRosemary Heinold, 781-699-4171 /
voicerosemary.heinold@fmc-na.com
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