In Memoriam: Nancy Hewitt Spaeth, 1947 – 2022

Nancy Spaeth at the Northwest Kidney Centers’ dialysis museum during IDEAS 2019, standing with the dialysis machine used by Bill Peckham as he rafted down the Grand Canyon

Nancy Hewitt Spaeth, the longest survivor of kidney failure in the world, passed away on January 14, 2022. Nancy leaves behind her tremendous legacy of more than 60 years of living with kidney failure and her passionate advocacy for people living with kidney disease to live life to their fullest. Our kidney community and the Center for Dialysis Innovation will miss her kind spirit and inspiring outlook on life dearly.

To learn more about Nancy’s incredible journey and advocacy, read the tribute from Northwest Kidney Centers, read Nancy’s story in her own words, and hear Nancy tell her journey of 50 years of renal replacement therapy at the 2016 NKC Breakfast of Hope.

Nancy Spaeth at the Center for Dialysis Innovation’s 2019 Innovations in Dialysis: Expediting Advances Symposium (IDEAS) Night at the Museum, hosted by Northwest Kidney Centers, with CDI co-directors Jonathan Himmelfarb (middle) and Buddy Ratner (right).