Rx Target Systems part 2 of the mission statement is to raise awareness to pediatric and childhood kidney disease. When a newborn or child is diagnosed with kidney disease it is important to learn about the management and support systems that are available. Rx Target Systems donates a portion of sales to pediatric dialysis units which goes to support the families of pediatric dialysis patients. Companies and individuals may also donate to the link set up in Melissa’s name. You will receive a nice thank you letter from the University and tax receipt.
http://giving.umich.edu/give/335739
Our Story of GPA from our daughter’s perspective
My name is Melissa, and I am now 14 years old and in junior high school. In March of 2017, I was diagnosed with a very rare disease called GPA, (Granulomatosis PolyAngitis). GPA occurs in 3 and 100,000 and mostly in older people. GPA commonly affects the lungs, sinuses, and kidneys, and is caused by the immune system attacking the blood vessels . My sinuses and lungs were ok; but my kidneys became very sick and I had to use dialysis three days a week to clean my blood out, sort of like an oil change. We were told that the damage to the kidneys is called “Crescentic Glomerulonephritis” which happens to 7 in a million people with kidney damage. It caused high blood pressures, seizures, and anemia that needed managed by medicine. There is no cure. Doctors treat GPA by making the immune system "go to sleep" or into remission using medicine so it stops attacking my kidneys . However, the first choice of treatment failed. We were told two thirds of my kidneys were unrecoverable. The second treatment put me in remission, but my kidneys still failed. I received a kidney from my Mom’s cousin which saved my life. Now I’m on anti-rejection medication for the rest of my life and closely monitoring by my doctors. This has been a very rough time for my family who has given up everything to help me live the new normal. My Mom had left her job of 15 years to take care of me, making sure I got to my dialysis appointments 3 days a week and doctor visits at CS Mott Children’s Hospital in Ann Arbor. My dad took money from his retirement and is worked a lot of hours to help pay the bills. Dad started making Airgun Targets to keep his mind off the stress and to help others get better with shooting. He also wanted to help support other families who have a child in Dialysis. Please consider supporting our business . Dad established a fund named after me called the “Melissa Bitkowski Patient and Family support fund which helps out those in pediatric dialysis. He donates 10 percent of his sales to that fund. So buying targets does more than help you shoot better; it also helps out the kids at CS MOTT CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL dialysis unit. My family and I thank you for taking time to read our story.
Links to educational resources :
https://www.kidney.org/atoz/content/childhood-infections-kidney-disease
https://www.kidney.org/content/6-tips-be-water-wise-healthy-kidneys