Olathe youth’s artwork ‘captured the universal experience’ of having this disease

One young Olathe artist will see her art on calendars nationwide next year. Hannah Ehrlich, 12, drew the winning design for the American Kidney Fund’s Calendar Kids Art Contest. She received an award for it last month at the organization’s annual gala in Washington, D.C.

The contest is a chance for young patients with kidney disease to express themselves, and, if they choose, raise some awareness about the condition.

“Kidney disease isn’t just something that just affects older people. Kids can have it, too. It’s also very isolating, because not many kids have it,” said Tamara Ruggiero, vice president and chief communications and marketing officer at the American Kidney Fund (AKF).

A staff committee at AKF selected 13 entries for a public vote. Hannah’s received the most votes, landing her on the cover. The other 12 finalists’ works will each be on a different month inside the fundraising calendar.

“Usually, the artwork that wins is something that resonates with people,” Ruggiero said. “If I had to guess why it won, I would say it’s that her artwork captured the universal experience of having kidney disease. She captured the shape of the kidney itself, but she also captured through language some of the concerns and challenges people with kidney disease face.”

Hannah, who has stage 3 chronic kidney disease, said she first heard about the contest from her doctor at Children’s Mercy Hospital.

“She knew from her appointments that Hannah loved artwork and art class, and Hannah jumped at the chance to run down and do the artwork actually pretty fast,” said Todd Ehrlich, Hannah’s dad.

It didn’t take long for her to come up with a design.

“Originally, it was just going to be a black piece of paper on the background. I cut the kidney part out and then I glued it onto that background. … I wrote stuff to show awareness, different things kids can relate to,” Hannah said.

The background features words and phrases such as “drink more water,” “lower ur sodium” and “limit dark soda.” These are all things kids like Hannah have to keep in mind as they go through their days.

This isn’t the first time Hannah has expressed her feelings about kidney disease through art.

“She does a lot of kidney-related drawings. Most of the past (ones) have been more cartoonish. I was actually surprised she went this route and not a cartoon-type doodle of a kidney,” Todd Ehrlich said.

Art is a good outlet when she has to deal with some of the tough stuff that comes with kidney disease.

“It’s not easy to take big pills. It’s a big struggle for me when I do P.E. I lose a lot of energy fast,” Hannah said. “I get dizzy and nauseous. I feel like I need to sit down. It’s not as easy for me as it is for other kids.”

Other kids sometime accuse her of being “overdramatic” when she has to rest or drink more water, but it’s no joke for Hannah, Todd Ehrlich said.

That’s one reason why this recognition is so important. Not only is it a chance for Hannah to show her artistic skills, but it also give her an opportunity to educate people.

When her dad got the email saying Hannah had won, he was delighted.

“I knew her artwork was awesome, and I loved what she did with all the colors and all the writing on it,” he said. “So, I wasn’t that surprised, but I was so proud. It was an awesome feeling. I couldn’t wait to tell everyone, especially Hannah.”

Go here to buy the calendar.

This story was originally published November 24, 2023 at 5:00 AM.