At the end of the month members of the Grande Prairie community are invited to come together to raise funds and awareness about organ donation during the Grande Prairie Kidney Walk.
Krysta Gendreau Community Engagement Manager for Kidney Foundation, Northern Alberta and Territories branch, says the walk is an event that brings the community together and also lets those going through the organ donation process they are not alone.
“We have patients up here, we have transplant recipients, we have organ donors that don’t know that there are others like them in the area,” Gendreau explains. “So, it’s a place for them to get together, come out to Muskaseepi Park, bring their family and support networks, and have a great time.”
Gendreau adds as someone who’s been a caregiver herself for over a decade in Grand Prairie, the journey can be a lonely one when you don’t know anyone.
“Knowing now we have a support network and there are others like us is a lot. It makes us feel good knowing that there’s someone to lean on in those times and even just pick up the phone and ask.”
She says when she attended her first Kidney Walk she remembers looking around and thinking “All these people get it.”
“It has been really isolating and for several years, we did have very little support network and we really didn’t even understand kidney health and what we were going through. So, all of a sudden, we were forced into this world that we didn’t know anything about.
Gendreau hopes through the walks the community can grow, so even if someone comes out for their first walk people there will understand what they’re going through and can be there as a support.
The walk also has a monetary aspect, with a $50,000 goal. The funds raised will go to those impacted by kidney disease and support them on this journey. Whether that be through helping purchase gas to get to and from appointments in places such as Edmonton or helping with the cost of food on those trips. Gendreau explains the $50,000 goal is a reflection of the rise in the cost of living and a dollar not being able to go as far as it used it.
The June 22nd event will be held at Muskoseepi Park, with registration happening at the Ernie Radbourn Pavilion. Registration begins at 10:15 with the walk set for 11 a.m. While you can register the day of, Gendreau says pre-registering is encouraged especially for those who want to help raise funds.
As of June 3rd, $7,804.71 has been raised.
More information on the local walk can be found here.
