I'm Krissi. I'm a 34 year old optimistic realist, and I'd like to tell you (part of) my story: of my life-long journey with chronic kidney disease (CKD), kidney failure (ESRD), hemo-dialysis and kidney transplantation.

I began blogging about my life with the chronic kidney disease Focal Segmental Glomerulosclerosis (FSGS) in 2002 for many important reasons - I blogged to get things off my mind, express my emotions about living with chronic illness and to share my experiences with others. I continue to blog today for the same reasons.

Since I began blogging, I have gone through the final (agonizing) 18 months of chronic kidney disease resulting in kidney failure (Jan 2004), three and a half years of hemodialysis, and a successful kidney transplant (June 2007). In all, more than half of my lifetime has been focused on kidney-related health issues.

My Kidney Blog and MyKidney.com grew from a small personal blog on LiveJournal to what you find here today. This website, and what is freely shared here, is my contribution to the international community of kidney patients and their medical professionals, caretakers, families and friends.

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Krissi Bates-Billings (iKrissi) has been tethered to online social networks beginning with BBS'ing in 1994 and migrating to the web shortly after. She began blogging in 1999 and podcasting in 2010 and discusses both witty and gritty stories about her every-day life as a geek, kidney disease survivor, and adoptive parent. She is a published author and has appeared several times on television as an advocate for social awareness about a variety of topics and in a documentary film about her life as a dialysis patient. Today Krissi lives in the Tampa, Florida area with her husband and son, four dogs, pet bird, and a healthy kidney transplant.

Blogging

• iKrissi.com is about Krissi's daily life, viewpoints, and opinions.

• Geekistry - What geeks do. is Krissi's collaboration with her good friend and Michael Gaines and a place where she discusses anything and everything "geek" on the site's blog and podcast.

• My Kidney is about Krissi's "life and living with less than perfect kidneys" and about her journey through chronic kidney disease, kidney failure, dialysis, and kidney transplant.

• A World of Adoption tells the story about how Krissi found her son in Ukraine and how she feels about adoption and adoptive parenting. Krissi has also been a guest blogger on PBN, BlogNosh, and several other sites.

Advocacy

Krissi is the former Vice President of the Tampa Bay chapter of the American Association of Kidney Patients (AAKP). She worked with Dialysis Patient Citizens (formerly DaVita Patient Citizens) in 2005 in Washington D.C. to promote changes to Medicare pertaining to ESRD and was also featured in a documentary about being a hemodialysis patient. She is proudest of her article "Self-Confidence and the Teenaged Dialysis Patient" published in 2004. In addition to health-related topics, Krissi has appeared in several television spots about international adoption and adoption reform. She remains passionate about both topics.

Social Media

Krissi can be found on most social media sites, but transitioned from a traditional blogger to a new media nut on Seesmic and Twitter beginning in 2007. Today she never leaves home without her iPhone, MacBook, and Starbucks card.