Why? The Cause!

If you started reading the about page you might already know that my first Kidney March was September 2018. The weather was perfect that weekend, the event blew me away but the people grew in my heart.

I found out about Kidney March in 2015 through an expired poster at a Children Hospital Nephrology Clinic. When I saw that poster, I had a vision of me walking along a mountain roadside pushing my daughter's stroller with my little dog Baxter along side. Little did I know... It caught my attention that day but it wasn't until I heard a radio commercial in March of 2018 for Kidney March I decided to sign up. That year I had outstanding amount of financial support from my colleagues, family and friends. I was training regularly and building my endurance in preparation for the walk, I was fit and happy. I was able to finish that first day without challenge. When we got to camp it was a whole other world. Massage, Stretching, Showers, Food, Cart Rides. A generally high spirited energy camp life.

The first year I participated in Kidney march was for personal reasons and it encouraged me to be healthy in preparation for the big walk. I didn't expect to meet as many people as I had. You just end up talking to someone along the way. That year there was a marcher whom had just been recently diagnosed with Kidney failure. He was participating in Kidney March because he could and also had received support from the Kidney Foundation and wanted to pay it forward. He was high spirited and looked was in good health.

The following year that same marcher as I was finishing my march I noticed him on the side at the finished line cheering the finishing marchers on, he looked tired. I could see that his health had changed because of Kidney disease. I remember him cheering the marchers on during my regular walks. It was a drastic difference in one year and yet he made it out to cheer. That meant something! The next person I want to tell you about was a nurse in the medical tent. She worked miracles on my blistery feet I must tell you! She was a nurse at the dialysis clinic by day. There she has seen many patients come to see her for their regular care and she was able to share with me some of challenges she saw regularly. She was happy to help Kidney marchers with their feet as their efforts go a long way to help support kidney patients. Finally most recently during the pandemic shut down someone was unable to get some critical meds. They posted on the kidney community sites and the Kidney Foundation connected them with the right people to get him what he needed. They were there to support him.There are many other little story's of the people of Kidney March that make it such a community special. This year has posed significant challenge to keep that momentum going.

For me I am doing this because I care. I want to help. I met some pretty incredible people on my first Kidney March who opened my eyes on what the Kidney Foundation does to support our communities.

See my fundraising page, Sponsor Me!

https://kidney.akaraisin.com/KidneyMarch2020/kmbomber

http://kidneymarch.ca/