{"id":639003,"date":"2026-10-07T10:54:11","date_gmt":"2026-10-07T10:54:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/639003\/"},"modified":"2026-10-07T10:54:11","modified_gmt":"2026-10-07T10:54:11","slug":"every-20-seconds-bringing-the-human-story-of-kidney-disease-to-the-stage","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/639003\/","title":{"rendered":"Every 20 Seconds: bringing the human story of kidney disease to the stage"},"content":{"rendered":"

Advanced kidney care nurse Gloria Munoz-Figueroa describes how personal tragedy and the global toll of kidney disease inspired her to create the upcoming play Every 20 Seconds, and how she hopes the play can raise awareness, support kidney patients and spark conversations beyond the clinic. <\/p>\n

When I first saw the Global burden of kidney disease: one death every 20 seconds<\/a> report, I was shocked by the scale of what this research revealed.\n<\/p>\n

As a kidney nurse, I know the statistics on deaths from this disease, but seeing them presented so starkly made me think: how do we make more people aware of this?\n<\/p>\n

For me, this is personal.\n<\/p>\n

I lost my father to kidney disease. He was young, and his death has stayed with me so much that I became a kidney nurse, after previously being a bacteriologist specialising in forensic science.\n<\/p>\n

Today, as a lead nurse in advanced kidney care, I see every day how important information, education and timely conversations can be for people living with kidney disease and their families. I feel a responsibility to help make those conversations happen beyond the clinic as well.\n<\/p>\n

In March 2026, I organised our first Advanced Kidney Care and Wellbeing Patient Conference. We welcomed 105 people, and the response was fantastic. It reinforced something I strongly believe: patients need opportunities not only to receive healthcare, but to learn, ask questions, connect with others and feel empowered. This involved four lifestyle workshops on a plant-based diet, smoking cessation, stress management and physical activity. <\/p>\n

I want to continue developing that conference and creating opportunities for patients and families to come together. Then I had an idea: what if I used theatre to tell the story of kidney disease?\n<\/p>\n

That is how Every 20 Seconds<\/a> was born. I wrote the first version of the theatrical piece in three days. It has since developed and grown its own legs and voice! I never imagined it would impact on so many talented people, volunteering to become part of it.\n<\/p>\n

The piece brings together a professional actor, a ballet dancer, an opera singer and a classical pianist. It is deliberately different from a traditional healthcare event. I wanted to create something that could communicate an important message through storytelling, music and movement \u2013 something people could experience emotionally as well as intellectually.\n<\/p>\n

And I want nurses to be able to attend too. Nurses spend so much of their working lives caring for others. I wanted to create an evening where nurses could come together outside the clinical environment, experience something beautiful, support kidney patients and charities, and perhaps leave with a different perspective on a disease that affects so many people.\n<\/p>\n

The play is also raising money for the West London Kidney Patients Association<\/a>, helping support education and activities for kidney patients.\n<\/p>\n

I am incredibly grateful to the artists involved. They have trusted me with an idea that started as a conversation and have given their considerable talents and time to help bring it to life. Their willingness to volunteer says something powerful: kidney disease is not only a medical issue. It is a human story, and it is a story worth telling.\n<\/p>\n

For me, Every 20 Seconds<\/a> is another form of nursing. It is education. It is advocacy. It is connection.\n<\/p>\n

And above all, it is about making people stop, listen, and understand why kidney health matters \u2013 before another family must experience what mine did.\n<\/p>\n

Gloria Munoz-Figueroa is a nurse kidney specialist and lead nurse for advanced kidney care at Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust.\n<\/p>\n

For more information and tickets: Every 20 Seconds \u2013 A play inspired by the realities of kidney disease. Saturday 17 October 7-9pm<\/a>\n<\/p>\n

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