Woman diagnosed with rare kidney disease after initial misdiagnosis of cancer

Michelle Williams received a diagnosis of IC-MPGN, an extremely rare kidney disease, at the Cleveland Clinic in 2023, after months of incorrect treatment. Doctors had originally told her she had multiple myeloma, a type of blood cancer, and she spent nearly six months receiving chemotherapy and immunotherapy. Her symptoms, which included high blood pressure and swelling in her body, did not improve.

Frustrated with her care, Williams wrote directly to the Cleveland Clinic asking for help. There, a kidney specialist named Dr. Jagmeet Dhingra kept searching for answers. Further testing, including bone marrow biopsies, eventually confirmed the correct diagnosis. IC-MPGN is caused by immune deposits collecting in the kidneys and affects roughly one to four people per million worldwide.