ANNA Member Spotlight
Welcome to ANNA's monthly member spotlight. ANNA is a vibrant organization because of nurses like you! Your diverse experiences and unique perspectives make us a collective whole that is a masterpiece. We are proud of the work each of you do!
If you would like to be featured, participate in our online community, ANNA Connected. Members are featured in the Member Spotlight based on their engagement in ANNA Connected, so start connecting, talking, and getting to know other ANNA members via ANNA Connected.
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Glenna Frey, APRN-CNSCo-Founder and Co-Executive Director / Healing Care Practitioner |
How long have you been a nurse?
I graduated from nursing school in 1981.
How long have you been in nephrology?
I worked as a nursing assistant on a kidney transplant unit taking care of patients returning from surgery needing 1:1 care in isolation. I loved caring for these patients and wanted to continue working on the unit after graduation. I have been a nephrology nurse for over 39 years. Besides caring for kidney transplant patients, I have been trained in peritoneal dialysis and hemodialysis. I have had a variety of positions from staff nurse, assistant head nurse, educator, clinical nurse specialist, palliative care team, care coordinator, and now co-founder and co-executive director of a nonprofit that provides education and support for living kidney donation. My husband and daughter have polycystic kidney disease (PKD), so I also have lived with an inside view of what it is like to have kidney disease. My husband just received his second kidney transplant from a living kidney donor on August 12, 2020, and they are both doing well.
If you had to describe nephrology nursing in one word, what comes to mind?
Complex. The kidneys, kidney disease, and treatment are very complex. Nephrology nurses are in a special position to help patients and their families navigate this challenging disease, from acute to chronic conditions, dialysis, transplant, and end of life. Each treatment modality has its own set of nuances and requires a care team to support, guide, and partner with each individual patient. No two patients will have the same experience, so it is important to incorporate interventions unique to each person.
What do you value most about your ANNA membership?
I took the very first Certified Nephrology Nurse (CNN) exam and that forced me as a young nurse to study all aspects of kidney disease early in my career. ANNA provides opportunities for endless education, collaboration, communication, mentoring, leadership, grants, and advocacy. We are the voice for nurses and patients across the country. I have enjoyed working at both the local and national levels on various ANNA committees. The value over the years has been immeasurable. We are one connected community of supportive, intelligent nurses who care so deeply about individuals with kidney disease.
Do you have a favorite patient story?
After starting the nonprofit, Kidney Donor Conversations, my daughter and I were at our first community organ donor awareness event and talked to a woman who knew nothing about living kidney donation. She asked lots of questions and before leaving, said she wanted to donate her kidney. We spoke several times afterward as I guided her through the general process to find a transplant center. Eight months later, she donated her left kidney to a man who is now off dialysis. They are both doing great. Talking about living kidney donation has become my life passion, in hopes of helping one more person out of the 95,000 people on the kidney transplant waiting list.
What do you enjoy doing when you are not working as a nurse?
I am a first-degree Black Belt in Tae Kwon Do, certified hula hoop instructor, and holistic nurse with experience in aromatherapy, guided imagery, and Healing Touch. I love spending time in my backyard woods with nature among the trees, flowers, birds, and squirrels.
Share an interesting fact about yourself.
I donated my kidney to a stranger in 2017, have normal kidney function, and feel great! In 2018, I co-founded a new nonprofit organization with my daughter to provide education and support for living kidney donation. We felt there was not enough public knowledge about the facts of living kidney donation and how to be a living donor.