Unlocking Kidney Health: Why Early Detection Matters
Kidney Health Awareness Month spotlights Ashley Holt's inspiring transplant journey
LEXINGTON, Ky. (ABC36 News Now) – March is National Kidney Awareness Month, a critical time to spotlight kidney health, often dubbed an “invisible condition” by doctors since symptoms frequently go unnoticed until it’s too late. Early detection and proactive steps are essential for safeguarding your kidneys.
Meet Ashley Holt, a resilient Lexington woman and transplant survivor whose journey from diabetes to diagnosis to life-saving kidney transplant is reminding everyone to prioritize early detection. At just 17 years old, Ashley was first diagnosed with diabetes. Years later, it wreaked havoc on her body. “At 28, 28, 30, just living my life, all of the things. But when I got sick, I ended up in the hospital. Then some of the testing came back, and they said, ‘we’re gonna get you a specialist—a nephrologist,” Holt said. Her kidney function had dropped below 30 percent, a shock since she’d never suspected failure.
Dr. Faizen Barbar, Nephrologist at Baptist Health Lexington Hospital, stresses that pain-free progression can fool many people and that tests give you the best chance to catch it early, “kidney disease isn’t associated with any pain. Patients often say, ‘I urinate okay, so I think my kidneys are fine.’ But early-stage kidney disease is only caught through blood or urine tests.” Doctors says kidney disease can strike anyone at any age if you have any of the risk factors, such as high blood pressure, diabetes or hypertension.
Dr. Samir Parikh, President, American Society of Nephrology says early action can safeguard your kidney and your heart because these two organs communicate and depend on each other’s health, “think of the heart as the pump pushing blood around the body, and the kidneys as the filter cleaning it. A good pump needs a great filter—and damage to that filter strains the heart.”
And that vital heart-kidney connection is all too real for many kidney patients. Just like in Ashley’s case, she worked on improving her overall health so she could be strong enough to withstand taking dialysis week after week and a transplant surgery. Following that diagnosis in 2019, Ashley endured four grueling years of dialysis as she waited for a kidney to become available. Her faith kept her positive through a long time of uncertainty, including a backup slot in August 2023 where she was identified as a secondary recipient. She says they identify back-up transplant recipients just in case the transplant does not work for the primary recipient. Ashley said, “they did treat me as if I was the primary. So you got to get ready, you just don’t know. I did all the tests, covid test, everything. Constant labs. And later that night, they said, ‘It’s gonna be successful for the primary candidate.’ Ashley says she was bittersweet at that moment but was thankful, “I knew the Lord was blessing me—He was in the area.” Thirteen days later, her transplant arrived. Gratitude defines her view of the donor.
Ashley reflects on her journey through the transplant and says she’s filled with thankfulness, “just a wonderful experience to make it to that point. What was wonderful was the family or person who made that decision to save somebody, and I just happened to be that one that day.”
Ashley has nicknamed her kidney “Jerry” after the biblical reference to the Book of Jeremiah and admits that her transplant was a complete success. She says she watches what she eats, stays active and remains living in a state of gratitude.
Doctors remind those with the risk factors of kidney disease to eat well, stay active, hydrate, and limit pain medications, and to remind the public that one donor can save up to eight lives.
