RSN is deeply saddened to hear of the passing of Celeste Castillo Lee. She struggled most of her life with kidney disease and was on dialysis for 30 years. Our deepest sympathies to her family, friends and all that knew and loved her.
Celeste contributed greatly as an advocacy for the kidney community and patient engagement Her commitment and compassion impacted hundreds of thousands of patients and see will be missed.
Here is just a small collection of Celeste Castillo Lee’s contributions to Renal Support Network and the Kidney Community:
Defining Patient and Family Centered Care
A patient and family centered care environment encourages participation and engagement, and these lead to better clinical outcomes. Celeste Castillo-Lee, Program Manager at the University of Michigan, has been on dialysis for many years. In this talk with Lori, Celeste discusses moving from a system-centered model of care to a patient and family centered model, allowing the patient to take control, and improving quality of life and longevity.
Quality of life has always been important to Celeste Castillo-Lee. A series of health issues has made her life very challenging. Celeste shares with the utmost courage why she chose Hospice and how she is preparing for end of life. Her wisdom, strength and attitude is one for the textbooks. One of her goals in life is to empower and educate her peers as she describes how she came to this choice. This interview is moving, emotional, reminds us how precious life is and not to waste one moment on things that don’t matter.
As patients with chronic kidney disease/end-stage renal disease, we’re constantly setting a new normal as we age. We become experts in simultaneously holding onto hope and achieving acceptance. We do all we can to maintain our physical health with the help of medical intervention and a renal diet. But we must also continue to think expansively when it comes to maintaining our overall health. Over the past 30 years, I’ve come to define health as incorporating my entire being: spiritual, mental, physical, emotional, and social.
UNC School of Medicine, Kidney Center – Celeste Castillo Lee’s Work in Patient Engagement
The Amazing Grace Bracelet Honoring Celeste Castillo-Lee
Celeste Castillo-Lee has given hope and strength to others by sharing her experiences, demonstrating grace in coping with her illness and advocating for optimal care even during the most trying of times. RSN’s Embrace Hope Collection
Web ID 1074