In 2008, I had the privilege of interviewing Dr. Donald J. Sherrard in his office at the Northwest Kidney Center in Seattle. A close colleague of Belding Scribner and a world-renowned authority on renal bone disease, Dr. Sherrard offers a firsthand account of the pioneering years of chronic dialysis therapy. His recollections illuminate the remarkable determination, ingenuity, and perseverance that enabled the Seattle group to transform a once-fatal condition into a treatable disease. The interview also explores the early clinical challenges of dialysis, including striking cases of metastatic calcification, and traces the groundbreaking research, particularly the use of bone biopsy and histomorphometric analysis, that shaped our modern understanding of renal osteodystrophy and mineral bone disorders in kidney disease. Together, these stories provide a unique insider’s perspective on one of the most important chapters in the history of nephrology.
