PKD Life - Summer 2023 - 8

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THE KID ZONE
Ages & Stages
(Safe) Fun in the Sun
Here's what parents can do to help kids
with PKD stay active this summer.
By Meredith Heagney
S ummer is prime time for many of the joys of
childhood: playing outside, swimming, and long
days with friends. Parents of children with PKD can
help them enjoy the season safely.
" My girls would get exhausted faster than everybody
else's kids, " says Dani Buckner, a Ravenna, Ohio,
mother of five daughters, including Kylee, 16, and
Hailey, 15, who have ADPKD. Because of an aggressive
genetic mutation, both girls started to experience
symptoms at an early age.
Buckner's daughters learned that drinking lots of
water and listening to their bodies is crucial. " They now
realize that in order to hang in all day with everyone,
this is what I have to do, " Buckner says.
Buckner and Zubin J. Modi, M.D., a pediatric
nephrologist at the University of Michigan's C.S. Mott
Children's Hospital, offer these tips for summer activity
if your child has PKD.
HYDRATE,
HYDRATE,
HYDRATE.
Making sure that children
with PKD drink enough water
is important all year round,
but especially in the summer,
when it's hot and kids are
more active and sweating,
Dr. Modi says. " If you are not
well-hydrated, you run the
risk of developing acute
kidney injury. "
For younger children, he
recommends that parents
offer water throughout the
day. For older kids, talk to
them about sipping continuously,
or use a marked water
bottle or an app to hit daily
water targets.
Buckner offers her kids
flavored water, popsicles, and
frozen fruit to make hydration
more appealing.
PARTNER WITH
YOUR DOCTOR
FOR A SAFE SUMMER.
Your child's doctors are the
best resource if you're wondering
if an activity is safe,
Dr. Modi says. They can offer
guidance on how to keep
your child healthy and any
warning signs to monitor.
" PKD is pretty variable, "
he says. " Some kids will have
more issues earlier on in life;
some kids won't know at all. "
HELP YOUR
CHILD TUNE IN
TO THEIR NEEDS.
If possible, it's best to help
your child with PKD try
something they want to do
rather than saying no automatically,
Buckner says. Her
daughters played soccer but
found the running and contact
painful. Hailey became
a cheerleader and Kylee discovered
a talent for the flute.
Both girls learned their limits
and embraced what they
can do.
" I've tried to teach them
how to advocate for themselves, "
Buckner says. " We
never told them that they
couldn't do something. We
just modified things. "
*
8 PKD LIFE * SUMMER 2023
PKD Life - Summer 2023

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