Kurt Suzuki’s Wife, Renee: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know

Kurt Suzuki’s wife is Renee Suzuki. The couple met in college, and have since married and had three children together. Renee describes her world as “baseball life, wife and momma to 3 amazing, energetic kids.”

In addition to supporting Kurt’s baseball career, the pair spend a good amount of time speaking out on behalf of kidney disease research. They also run the Kurt Suzuki Family Foundation, which seeks to raise awareness and funds for kidney disease research.

On Monday, November 4, Kurt’s political affiliations become a source of great speculation as he donned a “Make America Great Again” hat during the Washington Nationals’ visit to the White House. Neither he nor his wife have acknowledged or specified their political beliefs, though Renee does confirm her own Christianity in her Instagram bio.

Here’s what you need to know about Kurt’s wife, Renee:

1. Kurt & Renee Met in College, Where They Were Both College Athletes

Renee Suzuki

Renee and Kurt met in college at California State University, Fullerton, where they both were college athletes. Kurt was playing baseball at the time, and Renee was on the volleyball team.

Renee keeps a quiet life, though she has often given interviews about what it’s like to be married to a professional baseball player. She spoke to The Washington Times in 2012 when her husband was traded to the Nationals.

“We were walking out the door and he said to me, ‘All right, Renee, you’re sure you’re OK with all this?’” she explained. “And I said, ‘Yeah, let’s do it.’ I came home and I said, ‘All right. Where should I start?”

2. Kurt & Renee Have Three Children Together: Malia, Kai Noah, & Elijah

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Kurt and Renee have three children together. Their oldest is their only daughter, Malia. Their middle child is their oldest son, Kai Noah, who some publications refer to as “Kainoah.” And their youngest child is Elijah, whom they refer to as Eli.

All three Suzuki children are frequently present at Kurt’s games. But the Suzuki family’s love for children extends past their own inner circle: in 2017, Kurt and Renee participated in a social media campaign to help raise awareness around a three-year-old child’s battle with Stage IV Neuroblastoma in the area where Kurt grew up. Tucker Dukes died in March 2017 of the sickness, but Kurt and Renee continued to speak out on behalf of him even after his death.

In an email to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution in 2017, Renee explained,

“Our friendship grew and so did our desire to raise awareness for pediatric cancer, and I have three small children of our own. For this reason, we have become extremely passionate about bringing awareness and helping families while they embark on the most difficult time of their lives.”

3. Renee Has a Private Instagram Account, & Touts Her Faith in Her Instagram Bio

Kurt Suzuki Foundation

Neither Kurt nor Renee have public Instagram accounts. However, some parts of Renee’s personal life can be found within the bio for her private Instagram account, which reads: “Baseball life, wife and momma to 3 amazing, energetic kids. God is so good…just look around ?”

Many might be wondering about the political affiliations of the Suzuki family, following Kurt’s MAGA hat moment at the White House following the World Series win. However, neither Kurt nor Renee have made public statements in the past about where they stand with their political beliefs.

4. Renee & Kurt Run the Kurt Suzuki Family Foundation, a Non-Profit Dedicated to Providing Support for Kidney Disease Research

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Both Kurt and Renee actively tout their non-profit, the Kurt Suzuki Foundation, which aims to support research around kidney disease. The pair have personal connections to the medical affliction: Kurt’s father and Renee’s sister have both battled issues related to their kidneys in the past.

Kurt’s father, Warren Suzuki was diagnosed with stage 4 kidney cancer in 2007, per the foundation’s site. He has since gone into remission after getting treatment; Kurt wrote that his father’s “success story” inspired he and Renee to “do our part to raise funds for medical treatments.”

In addition, Renee’s sister Tricia has also had her own health scare related to her kidneys. Her medical scare began when she was nine years old, when she learned she had a kidney disease called Nephrotic Syndrome. Tricia wrote on the foundation’s site,

I am finally in remission. Currently a junior in college about to turn 21 and I feel very blessed. I eat healthy, control my sodium intake, exercise and get plenty of rest. I got through it all with the help of my wonderful family and friends and now because of my Nephrotic Syndrome FSGS, my sister Renee and her husband Kurt Suzuki are now ambassadors for NephCure!

5. Renee Has Spoken Out About the ‘Horrific Nightmare’ That Came After the Birth of Her Second Child, Elijah

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On her own website, Renee spoke out about the “horrific nightmare” she went through after giving birth to Eli via a Cesarean section. Renee writes, “I was bleeding internally during these six hours [of surgery]. I had exhibited all the warning signs and it was missed.  Completely missed!”

She continued, “Please learn the warning signs of internal bleeding and listen to your instincts and become your own advocate.  I have a responsibility to speak up.  In the United States, the rate of caesarean births is 32% and internally hemorrhaging occurs much too often. Thank you for listening to my story.”