Board Members

I grew up in the South Jamaica section of Queens, NY and was raised in a household and community that taught family first and service to others. This is the mindset with which I have pursued life. After getting my start as a nurses’ aide, I eventually advanced to EKG technician, and later to supervisor of the EKG department, and finally retired after 37 years of service. During the course of my career, I served on various committees to improve employee relations, educate employees, and unite the hospital and community, and I was recognized for the New York City Health and Hospital Corporation’s achievement award for bringing diversity to the work force, among other awards.

I have committed much of my life to being a parent to my two wonderful children and to being actively involved in the local community, and I have taken pride in those roles. So when I suffered a stroke in 2004, my life in those roles was threatened. It was only months later that I lost vision in both eyes, and in 2005, I was diagnosed with acute renal failure. This was hard news for my children because they lost their father to renal failure in 1981.

Although traumatic, I never had the chance to lose hope. My children stepped in with the unwavering determination, resiliency and faith they were raised to have. Surrounded by this love and support, I made it through those tough times and came out ready to make an impact on anyone I could help.

I continue to serve as a pillar in my church, serving as a senior usher and intercessor. I recently developed Single Mothers in Christ, a spiritually-based empowerment and mentoring program for single mothers of the church. Now, I welcome the opportunity to serve as a DPC Board Member, in hopes of providing preventive education to the world, serving as a voice of hope for survivors of renal failure and serving as a voice of consciousness to elected officials and health care providers.

I was born with only one functioning kidney, as well as a host of other issues. When I was born, doctors told my parents there was no way I would live more than a day. When I made it two days, they were told that I would not live more than a week – wrong again! Then they were told that yes, I may live but I would need to be placed in a state facility. Fortunately my parents did not agree to this either. For many years, I had been told that I would need to start dialysis. Thankfully, through careful attention from much more qualified doctors and the grace of God, I made it until I was 25-years-old before I had to start dialysis. That was 10 years ago. During my time on dialysis, I went back to college and earned a Bachelor’s of Science in Political Science from Athens State University in Athens, Alabama. I am not eligible for a transplant so I am very interested in new technology including the possibility of a wearable kidney, or even stem cell research.

I am honored to have been elected to the DPC Board of Directors. I also have the honor of serving as the patient representative at my local clinic. Being involved is the only way to see the changes we need as patients to live fulfilled lives. Together I believe we can achieve great things for the needs of ESRD patients and their families.

My name is Pius Charles Murray, born in Worcester, MA but now from Somersworth, NH. I was originally named after my father (Charles W. Murray, Jr.) but added my confirmation name, Pius, legally as my first name at age 27 to differentiate my name from my father’s. There were two important influences in my life growing up. On the one hand, with three of my maternal grandmother’s brothers having entered the seminary (and two having been ordained priests), religion and a life of service to others played a central formative role in developing my values. On the other hand, my maternal grandfather was Dean (or the then-current term) of the Graduate School at Worcester State College in the 1960s. He firmly believed that education was the way to resolve social problems and overcome intolerance; he remembered the “No Irish need apply” signs on businesses’ windows. Those two strands, religion and education, have been the backbone of my life. I am a priest in the American Catholic Church in the United States, acting as God’s vessel dispensing His grace through prayer and the sacraments. Along the way, I have been blessed to obtain a substantial education which is used currently in my service on a number of local municipal boards in Somersworth, serving its residents. When, in August 2013, I was diagnosed with End State Renal Disease and began dialysis, I did not want simply to mope around. But it did take several years to see this as yet another God-given opportunity to serve God’s people. In the waiting room at the dialysis center what I go to is a poster from the Dialysis Patient Citizens organization. For a while, I simply looked at it without taking any action. As I became accustomed to dialysis, I wanted to demonstrate to myself and others that I could still contribute so I applied to become a Patient Ambassador. This experience was a refreshing reminder of my grandfather’s emphasis on education as a way to solve problems. Reflecting on my contributions to the various stakeholders in Somersworth by my service on various municipal boards and commissions, I decided that I would like offer my background to DPC and its 29,000 stakeholders. As a DPC board member and DPC Education board member, I will strive to utilize my talents advocating for better medical care for patients with kidney failure and developing new ways to educate the general public in issues relating to the care of kidney failure patients.