It's a fact of life, as we age, our bodies begin to fail us.
One of the most important organs, the kidneys, are more susceptible than others.
Seniors in Hawaii - and others - have the highest rate of chronic kidney disease of any state in the nation.
"One in seven people in Hawaii have chronic kidney disease. That's about 156,000 people. And we have about another 100,000 at risk so if you add those numbers together, it's about 1 in 5," said Jeff Sisemoore of the National Kidney Foundation.
Diabetes is the leading cause of chronic kidney disease. And there are certain ethnic groups that are more at risk than others.
"Among the populations that are most affected are the Asians, especially the Filipinos, Hawaiians, Polynesians, also blacks, native Americans," Sisemoore says.
Jeff is in charge of gift giving and fund raising for the local chapter of the National Kidney Foundation and he says there are important things people should know about gift giving.
"It's a lot more than just writing a check. It's about building a relationship and being smart about how you want to be involved with the organization," Sisemoore says.
If you're over 70 and a half and you have an IRA, there's a convenient way for you to make a donation.
"Ordinarily, you'd be taxed on it. If you make a gift from that, you don't increase your income so you don't get taxed on it. And in fact, the money never gets taxed because you get a deduction on the front end and you're giving it to charity on the back end," Sisemoore says.
We all remember the famous National Kidney Foundation kidney car public service announcements. Now, there is an added incentive to donate your car.
"If you were to donate a car between now and November 15th, you're automatically in a drawing for a five day vacation in Las Vegas courtesy of Vacations Hawaii," Sisemoore says.
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