About The Renal Preparedness Project, Inc.
Our mission is to ensure no dialysis patient is left vulnerable during national disasters or unexpected emergencies.
Our Mission
Our mission is to ensure no dialysis patient is left vulnerable during national disasters or unexpected emergencies.
Missing a dialysis treatment isn't an inconvenience — it can be fatal within days. Yet most emergency kits on the market are designed for the general public, with no consideration for patients who depend on regular medical treatment to survive.
We fill that gap. Our Pantry 2 Go Emergency Dialysis Kit is designed from the ground up for dialysis patients — covering medication management, backup treatment center identification, a 3-day renal-friendly meal plan to keep toxins to a minimum, caregiver communication, and more.
What We Stand For
Four principles guide everything we do — from how we design our kits to how we partner with the renal community.
Patient-Centered
Every Pantry 2 Go Emergency Dialysis Kit, guide, and resource we create starts with one question: what does a dialysis patient actually need when disaster strikes?
Clinically Informed
Our materials are developed in collaboration with nephrologists, dialysis nurses, and emergency medicine specialists.
Community-Driven
We partner with dialysis centers, patient advocacy groups, and local emergency management agencies across the country.
Accessible
Pantry 2 Go Emergency Dialysis Kits are provided at a cost to patients and caregivers, ensuring every member of the renal community can access the preparedness tools they need.
The Story Behind the Mission
A Solution Born From Crisis
When Norma Johnson's sister received a kidney transplant, her recovery was surrounded by love and support. Friends and family sent beautiful gift baskets and flowers to lift her spirits. However, there was an unexpected challenge — many of these gifts were not safe or appropriate for kidney transplant patients due to infection risks and dietary restrictions. As a result, she was unable to keep or enjoy them.
Recognizing this gap, Norma saw an opportunity to help others in similar situations. She began creating specialized gift baskets designed specifically for transplant patients, ensuring that every item included was safe, thoughtful, and supportive of their recovery journey.
A Solution Born From Crisis
Norma's innovation didn't stop there. After an ice storm prevented her husband from accessing life-sustaining dialysis treatment for several days, she experienced firsthand how vulnerable dialysis patients can be during emergencies. Although she and her husband had the medical knowledge to slow toxin buildup in his blood, they lacked the essential supplies needed to manage the situation safely.
From this experience, she developed the Renal Emergency Kit for Dialysis Patients — a comprehensive, thoughtfully designed kit that provides short-term support to individuals living with kidney disease during emergencies that disrupt dialysis access, medical care, and daily essential resources. This kit is designed to help bridge the gap during critical moments, when preparation can make all the difference.
Why It Matters
Kidney patients face unique challenges that are often overlooked — especially during recovery or emergency situations. From dietary restrictions and infection risks to the critical need for uninterrupted dialysis access, the renal community requires a level of preparedness that standard emergency resources simply don't address.
Norma Johnson's work is rooted in real-life experience, compassion, and a commitment to ensuring that no patient is left unprepared or unsupported. The Renal Preparedness Project, Inc. is the result of that commitment — a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization working nationally to make sure every dialysis patient has what they need before the next emergency strikes.
Understanding Renal Failure
Renal failure is a serious chronic illness that requires individuals to have toxins removed from their blood through a process called hemodialysis. During hemodialysis, a machine filters waste, excess fluids, and toxins from the bloodstream — performing the function that healthy kidneys can no longer carry out.
Dialysis patients must commit to multiple treatments per week, with each session lasting 3 to 4 hours — and in some cases, daily treatment is required. Because hemodialysis equipment is large, complex, and expensive, patients must travel to a dialysis center for every treatment. This makes consistent, reliable access to their center an absolute necessity.
This life-sustaining process typically continues for the duration of the patient's life, or until a suitable kidney donor can be found. Missing even a single treatment can cause dangerous levels of toxins to build up in the blood.
The National Kidney Foundation, the National Institutes of Health, and the World Health Organization all provide recommendations regarding proper care for people with chronic diseases during emergencies — particularly those who require hemodialysis. While proper care and diet are not a replacement for treatment, they can help extend the time between treatments when access to a dialysis center is simply not available.
Safety Disclaimer: This system is intended for emergency preparedness only. It does not replace dialysis or professional medical care.
When emergencies disrupt that access — whether through natural disasters, power outages, or unexpected crises — the consequences can be fatal within days. That is why preparedness is not optional for dialysis patients. It is a matter of life and death.
Our Partners
We work alongside leading organizations in kidney health, emergency management, and patient advocacy.
American Kidney Fund
National Kidney Foundation
American Society of Nephrology
FEMA Community Preparedness Division
Dialysis Patient Citizens
National Emergency Management Association
Board of Directors
The dedicated leaders guiding our mission to protect dialysis patients during emergencies.
Norma E. Johnson
Chief Executive Officer
Ronnie Rodgers
Vice President
Dr. Onika Popo James
Treasurer
Rhonda Saunders
Secretary
Dr. Lauren Spaights
Board Member
Nail & Pedicure Spa Day for Dialysis Patients
Join us for a special day of pampering and community — dedicated entirely to dialysis patients. This fundraiser will help us provide more free emergency kits to patients who need them most. Date and location details coming soon!
Ready to get your emergency kit?
Every dialysis patient deserves to be prepared. Request your ready-to-go emergency bag today — designed specifically for the renal community.