In 2009, Mesa resident Sejal Patel was diagnosed with Stage 5 end-stage renal disease.
That disease occurs when chronic kidney disease reaches an advanced state, according to the Mayo Clinic at https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/end-stage-renal-disease/symptoms-causes/syc-20354532. At this stage, your kidneys will lose the ability to filter waste and excess fluids from your blood, resulting in dangerous levels of wastes and fluids in the body. Dialysis or a kidney transplant is necessary to stay alive, according to the Mayo Clinic.
Over this multi-year journey, Patel had to get two kidney transplants and a pancreas transplant due to her Type 1 diabetes.
“It’s been 16 years total for my first transplant, which I still have the pancreas from,” Patel said. “And then it’s been four years now since my second transplant.”
Throughout this process, Patel was working for various medical organizations, including the Mayo Clinic. However, when she went to get her transplant, she realized she could not afford the out-of-pocket costs of treatment and of medications afterwards, even with employer insurance. Her care team recommended she switch to Medicaid.
“My care team actually recommend that I go back on Medicaid to help cover medications and the transplant because the insurance coverage wasn’t good,” Patel said. “I would probably have not been able to get my transplants because insurance was not covering a lot of the medications and care I needed at the time.”
That decision ultimately saved her life. Sejal is now a physician by training, and recently attended the American Kidney Fund’s third annual Patient Access Initiative in Washington, D.C. The event is a national gathering focused on improving access to kidney care as well as other topics within the field, and features a variety of kidney patients, health care professionals, policymakers, industry advocates and more participating, according to a press release.
In 2025, the event was focused on innovation and highlighting new technologies that can strengthen kidney care. Patel was part of a panel with industry leaders on how the kidney care field can innovate with new technology.
“It was really informative hearing not only patient perspectives, but industry leaders, physicians, researchers and their insight into how we can work together to help bring innovation through the pre-transplant process all the way through transplant and beyond.” Patel said. “It was very exciting and enlightening to have all these different minds and see how they think and be able to have engaging conversations.”
One such example is the use of artificial intelligence. According to Patel, AI’s predictive abilities could be a massive help for doctors with the pre-diagnosis process as well as planning out and adjusting treatment based on patterns.
“From the point of when a patient walks into the office, you can predict certain patterns that they can diagnose or not diagnose,” Patel said. “From all the care that the patient has ever done through the medical chart, it could be predicted that this patient might miss appointments, or when they would get dialysis treatments, and cater care from that prediction.”
Another thing Patel discussed with her peers was looking at biomarkers to improve kidney care as well as improving existing treatments such as immunosuppressants.
“I’m working with the patient and family council on how we can improve care for patients for the actual treatments that exist,” Patel said. “It was interesting to meet others that are also working on similar things as me, such as looking at side effects, what is scientifically sound in order to change side effects, and where we go from there.”
To Patel, these opportunities for innovation can emerge from an event like the PAI, where minds from all over are able to share their ideas.
“The most exciting part is that we have all these thoughts and we do what we do in our own corners,” Patel said. “But we are bringing all these different minds together and seeing how we can work together to fit those needs and deficits.”
Patel hopes that the PAI can also help provide additional resources and options for kidney patients, like she once was.
“As a patient, being involved and being engaged in talking with others about treatment is my biggest piece of advice,” Patel said. “Don’t be scared to ask.”
After graduating from Arizona State University's Cronkite School in spring 2022, Connor Van Ligten spent a little over year as a reporter for WWL-TV in New Orleans before finding themselves back in Phoenix in October of 2023. Now back in the Valley and writing for the Mesa Independent and the Daily Independent, Connor is ready to tell meaningful stories and report on important civic issues facing Mesa. Connor is a big fan of the 49ers, Warriors, pro wrestling, anime, dogs and fighting video games.
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