Nancy Spaeth – a registered nurse, mother of two and recipient of four kidney transplants - this is what you will get if you Google her. She had just started her 7th grade in September 1959 when she was diagnosed with kidney disease; life after that has been a roller-coaster ride for her.

Nancy Spaeth receiving The La Renon TANKER Foundation for the Sake of Honour Award at the 20th TANKER Annual Charity and Awards Nite 2013

Nancy got her first kidney transplant in 1972, her brother donating his kidney. Two years later, she had her first child, a son Josh, and in 1976, her daughter Sarah. Seven years later, in 1979, an episode of food poisoning destroyed her donated kidney. It was not a good time as she was also going through a divorce. But with her chin up, she began dialysis at home, four hours, three days a week, and began nursing school.

She went on with dialysis, until July of 1981, when she got her second transplant, the kidney from a young woman who was declared brain-dead. She went back to school, and graduated to land a job in the urology and nephrology wards, working nights. Five years later, that kidney failed too, and she was once again back on dialysis. After two-and-a-half years, another cadaveric kidney transplant came through.

In 1995 that failed too due to chronic rejection. She began Continuous Ambulatory Peritoneal Dialysis at home, and played the waiting game, turning 50 two years later. As if this were not enough to bring a person down, Nancy was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1999, and had to undergo surgery. In 2000 she received her fourth kidney which until today is working fine and she is healthy. She has been doing all that she enjoys starting from skiing to water aerobics and keeping herself fit.

This woman who fought against all odds and remains a strong anti-salt crusader is in every sense an inspiration for renal failure patients. She recently visited Chennai, India to deliver the Krishnan Ang TANKER Foundation Endowment lecture and also received The La Renon TANKER Foundation for the Sake of Honour Award, given to any person doing exemplary work in his/her field at the 20^th TANKER Annual Charity and Awards Nite 2013