BALTIMORE, Md., Jun 1, 2012 (GlobeNewswire via COMTEX) -- via PRWEB - Former New York Mets and Baltimore Orioles executive and current MLB Radio host Jim Duquette will be donating his kidney to his 10-year-old daughter, Lindsey, during a procedure scheduled to take place on June 4 at Johns Hopkins University Hospital in Baltimore, MD.

Lindsey has been suffering from the kidney disease FSGS (Focal Segmental Glomerulosclerosis) since she was two years old. For the past year, she has been living without kidney function while she awaits the transplant, spending hours on dialysis every day.

Jim is a board member for The NephCure Foundation ( http://www.nephcure.org ), a national kidney disease non-profit whose mission it is to fund research and education of FSGS and the related Nephrotic Syndrome.

"We are trying to raise awareness for the families out there," said Jim. "Maybe their child has come down with this syndrome and they don't know where to go; and we are trying to raise money that goes directly to research to hopefully find a cure."

NephCure will be hosting Countdown To A Cure Baltimore on Sunday, June 24 at 6 p.m. at Kettle Hill Restaurant in Baltimore, MD. Former Baltimore Orioles great Jim Palmer, Rick Dempsey and more are scheduled to be at the event, which benefits NephCure's mission. Tickets starts at $150 and can be purchased by visiting http://www.countdowntoacure.org .

Nephrotic Syndrome and FSGS are conditions that affect the tiny filtering mechanisms in the kidney. The result is that beneficial protein is spilled from the kidney into the urine and lost. Over time, this condition can result in renal failure and the need for dialysis or a kidney transplant.

FSGS is a leading cause of kidney failure in children and over 8,000 people are diagnosed with FSGS and Nephrotic Syndrome each year. Future NBA Hall-of-Famer Alonzo Mourning suffered from FSGS and required a transplant. Former New York Met Ed Hearn has required three transplants due to FSGS and still suffers from the disease.

The cause of Nephrotic Syndrome and FSGS is not known, and there is no cure. As a result, experimental medications, some that could cause cancer, are prescribed to try and put the disease in remission. Transplants aren't always the answer either, as the new kidney can be attacked by the disease, sometimes within hours of the transplant.

This article was originally distributed on PRWeb. For the original version including any supplementary images or video, visit http://www.prweb.com/releases/2012/6/prweb9564964.htm

This news release was distributed by GlobeNewswire, www.globenewswire.com

SOURCE: The NephCure Foundation

        CONTACT: The NephCure Foundation
        Greg Wiley
        
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