The second annual Give the Gift of Life Fun Run & Walk in Yorkton this Saturday will put the spotlight on kidney disease and the plight of Canadians awaiting organ transplants.
Pledges raised for the walk go to the Kidney Foundation of Canada, which funds research into kidney disease and provides financial support to sufferers.
For Audrey Parisloff, who coordinates the local walk with the help of her family, the cause is a personal one. Over the years, five of her close family members have been diagnosed with kidney disease caused by Alport syndrome, a genetic disorder. Some have died at a young age, while others have had their lives extended with kidney transplants.
"Now we have our grandson on dialysis here in Yorkton for two and a half years and waiting for a kidney transplant," Parisloff says. "He's only 18 years old, and now his life is kind of on hold. He has to be on dialysis three times a week for four and a half hours."
That's why the Gift of Life Fun Run & Walk isn't just about raising funds, but about spreading a message encouraging people to sign their organ donor cards-and to tell their family members their wishes. According to statistics from the Kidney Foundation, more than 4,000 Canadians are currently awaiting organ transplants, and more than 75 percent of those need kidneys.
Registration for Saturday's walk starts at Sacred Heart High School at 9 am, with the walk beginning on a path around Jaycee Beach at 10:30. It should last about an hour.
"There's entertainment, there's food, there's games for the kids, there's raffle prizes, a silent auction, and prizes for collecting pledges," says Parisloff.
Money raised from the raffle and silent auction will go directly to the dialysis unit in Yorkton. All money raised for the Kidney Foundation will stay in the province.
The first annual walk last year brought together about 70 participants and raised around $14,000. Parisloff thinks that record can be beaten this year.
"Whatever we get, it will be a help."
A registration fee of $35, which includes a t-shirt, applies to walkers.
If the weather is bad on Saturday, the walk will proceed indoors.
"I hope people will come out, walk, enjoy the day, and support the Kidney Foundation," says Parisloff.
