March 14th is World Kidney Day. We at United Way of Portage County honor this day of recognition by sharing a story of how our organization is helping those in our 
community who are going through kidney dialysis treatment. Our organization provides support to the Kidney Foundation of Ohio to assist Portage County residents with transportation for their treatments and help with medication expenses. Below is a story that shares the experience one woman had regarding the immediate need for transportation to her life-saving dialysis appointment:
Bertha Wagner is 89 year-old dialysis patient. Bertha strives to be independent, living alone. She uses an electric wheelchair for mobility and relies upon public transportation to get to her dialysis appointments. Unfortunately, when she was mailed the PARTA tickets, they were lost in the mail. Bertha did not have any extra funds to pay for replacement tickets. Her family was out of town and could not assist. The Kidney Foundation of Ohio was able to purchase PARTA tickets so Bertha could attend her dialysis treatment without interruption. She is extremely grateful for the assistance provided during this emergency situation. *Patient’s name has been changed.
To learn more about the Kidney Foundation of Ohio, visit kfohio.org