2021 Kamloops Kidney Walk
2021 Kamloops Kidney Walk
The Kamloops Kidney Walk is to be held virtually for a second straight year.
Supporters in Kamloops will take part on June 6, along with walkers from throughout B.C., Yukon, the Territories, Alberta and Saskatchewan.
Because of the pandemic, these Kidney Walks were forced to be held virtually in 2020, and the same thing has happened for 2021.
Last year, Kidney Walkers across Canada raised $2,695,065, with B.C./Yukon contributing $217,009 to that number. In Kamloops, the total raised was $12,449. Dorothy Drinnan was Kamloops’ top fund-raiser for a seventh straight year, this time bringing in $3,340.
As much as the Kidney Walk is a fund-raiser, it also shows support for all those people who are living with kidney disease, people like Vic Morin of Kamloops, who is doing peritoneal dialysis — spending eight hours hooked up to a cycler as he sleeps every night — as he hopes and waits for a transplant.
Morin and his wife, Colleen Bruce, have had a decal installed in the rear window of their car. “I NEED A KIDNEY,” it reads. “BLOOD TYPE B+.” The decal also includes two phone numbers — 250-573-3765 and 250-574-2547.
While Morin’s blood type is B+, a living donor doesn’t have to be a match, which is where the Living Kidney Donor Program comes in. This is another program that gains support through the Kidney Walk.
Remember, too, that there isn't a cure for kidney disease.
According to BC Transplant, there have been 102 kidney transplants performed in the province this year, through April 30. Of those, 27 were done using living donors. Still, there are 561 people awaiting transplants, while the medical community is following 3,672 who are post-transplant.
In 2020, there were 280 kidney transplants, with 81 of those involving living donors.
Statistics compiled by the National Kidney Foundation show that 10 per cent of the global population is affected by chronic kidney disease, and “millions die each year because they do not have access to affordable treatment.”
This, then, is why we hold the annual Kidney Walk. The Kidney Foundation’s patient programs, services and research are vital. Funds raised through the Kidney Walk community are a major contributor to maintaining these programs.
This year it’s all about showing our kidney and transplant community Strength, Hope and Courage! And we’ll be doing it on June 6.
In order to participate or make a donation, or for more information, visit kidneywalk.ca.