It’s the big fundraiser of the year for the Kidney Foundation of Canada and you can participate locally.
The Bancroft Kidney Walk at Millennium Park is Sept. 21 from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.
Bancroft Dialysis Clinic charge nurse Beatrix Guay said the walk is open to anyone in the area who wants to participate.
The next closest walks are in Kingston or Peterborough and Guay didn’t think local people would go that far to participate, so she wanted to have one in Bancroft.
“It’s the biggest fundraiser for the Kidney Foundation, and they do a huge amount to support our patients. They financially support research into kidney failure, kidney disease, and in a more concrete way, they provide financial support to help people get to their treatments.”
She said with transportation and gas becoming more expensive, the Kidney Foundation provides assistance where they can to help people access care.
She added that the walk is open to anyone in the area, regardless of whether they have a connection to kidney failure or disease, and is flexible for people of all walking ability.
“It is a walk tailored to whoever shows up, so last year one of our patients actually came, which brought tears to my eyes to see that particular patient come, as he’s maybe less mobile than some of our others,” she said.
“We just went as far as he felt like going, and he turned around and went back and some of the others carried on a little bit further,” she said.
Guay said last year’s walk raised $2,845, and this year they’re hoping to hit the $3,000 mark.
She added that a lot of people know about heart disease, but kidneys are often overlooked.
She said one in 10 Canadians suffer from kidney disease on some level.
“I think it’s important to have walks to fundraise for the Kidney Foundation as well as to raise awareness.”
Donations to the Bancroft Dialysis Team can be made at the walk, at the dialysis clinic or through the kidney walk website.
