Polycystic Kidney Disease (PKD) is a genetic disorder affecting over 600,000 people in the U.S.

For Mamaroneck resident William Meyer, it’s a disease that runs in his family.

Meyer found out he had it in his junior year of college. His mom and two older sisters also have it.

PKD is one of the leading causes of kidney failure. It causes cysts to form in the kidneys which can lead to kidney damage and end-stage kidney failure.

As of right now, there’s no cure.

“If I can take care of my larger wellbeing, the wellbeing of my whole self that can support my kidneys as they work through what they have to do on a day-to-day basis,” said Meyer.

An affected parent has a 50% chance of passing it to their child. For Meyer and his wife, they didn’t want to take that chance. When it came time to grow their family, they opted for the IVF route.

Their son is now 9 years old and PKD free.

This is where an organization called the PKD Free Alliance comes in.

It’s a nonprofit that provides families with resources and grants to help cover the cost of pre-implantation genetic testing.

“We actually offer that promise of hope,” said Kevin Schnurr with the organization.

Their mission is to put an end to PKD, but they can’t do it alone.

If you’d like to learn more about the organization and the work they do click here.