Renal Support Network Makes Prom Dreams Come True for "Kidney Teens"

Renal Support Network Makes Prom Dreams Come True for "Kidney Teens"
January 12th, 2011 1:42 am PT
By Virginia Postrel, LA Glamour Examiner

Next Sunday, January 16, teens from around Southern California will gather at Notre Dame High School in Sherman Oaks for the 11th annual Renal Teen Prom.
This special prom is the brainchild of Lori Hartwell, a dynamic Glendale resident whose kidneys first failed when she was just two years old. Like many kids with chronic kidney disease, who typically spend four hours a day, three days a week hooked up to a dialysis machine, she missed her own prom.

As an adult, Hartwell founded the Renal Support Network to help give people with kidney failure “health, happiness, and hope” while coping with their disease. (If all goes well, Lori is due for her fourth transplant shortly after this year's prom, with a kidney donated by her step-sister.) One of the network's most inspiring—and certainly most glamorous—programs is its prom, which is always held the Sunday before the Martin Luther King holiday, because dialysis is rarely scheduled on Sundays and the following day is a holiday.

The prom gives “kidney teens” a special night “to have what no young person should miss...the chance to enjoy being young!” As Linda Oakford, RSN's patient coordinator explains,

The best part about the Renal Teen Prom is that they get to share a wonderful evening with others who are experiencing the same issues that they are and that they are not the only one dealing with [chronic kidney disease]. They don't have to explain their scars or other obvious medical problems. The girls will wear strapless dresses not worrying about covering catheters or scars. As you know teenage years are difficult enough without medical issues, many of these teens feel like outsiders. Life-long friendships have been made at the Renal Teen Prom.

Thanks to financial and in-kind donations, and a lot of volunteer labor, the prom is free, including dinner, transportation, gowns for the girls and ties for the guys.

Last week, RSN volunteers fanned out around Southern California, bringing donated prom dresses to hospitals and dialysis centers. They set up makeshift dressing rooms in any available space, from restrooms to janitor's closets, allowing delighted girls to browse and try on dresses (with advice and assistance from assorted moms).

This year's prom dress selection was better than ever, thanks to donations from TJX, the parent company of TJ Maxx and Marshall's, and Out of the Closet. TJX rushed their dresses overnight so they could arrive in time to become the caravan's most popular items when it hit Millers Children's Hospital in Long Beach.
RSN accepts dress donations year-round. It particularly needs larger-size dresses appropriate for teenage girls. You can send them directly to 1311 N. Maryland Avenue, Glendale, CA 91207 or, if you prefer, drop them off at First Class Tailors in Brentwood. You can also make a financial contribution via PayPal--$50 sends one teen to the prom.
Tags:
Prom, Renal Support Network, charity, kidney disease, Teenagers, ESRD

Continue reading on Examiner.com: Renal Support Network Makes Prom Dreams Come True for "Kidney Teens" - Los Angeles glamour | Examiner.com http://www.examiner.com/glamour-in-los-angeles/renal-support-network-makes-prom-dreams-come-true-for-kidney-teens?render=print#print#ixzz1AsiMoh9G
..............