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The NephCure Kidney Walk returns for the 6th year to the Atlanta area, Saturday, September 26th. The walk brings together Atlanta area patients, friends, and family dedicated to raising awareness and vital funds to find improved treatment options and a cure for primary Chronic Kidney Diseases, including FSGS and nephrotic syndrome.
The walk will be held at Thrasher Park, 93 Park Drive in Norcross, GA. Registration opens at 9 and the walk begins at 10 a.m. Music and entertainment will feature local band Fatback Deluxe. Food and games for the children will be held afterwards, plus fantastic raffle prizes and a silent auction. There is no registration fee, but teams are encouraged to raise at least $1,500, with a total event goal of $32,000.
Walk volunteers Michael and Alisan Parnes are one of the families leading this event in honor of their sons, Zion and Donovan. Both boys were diagnosed with FSGS in 2009.
“This disease caused Zion’s kidneys to fail when he was only 6 years old. He spent a year on dialysis and had a kidney transplant at 7 years old. Donovan is still living with this disease and our hope is that better treatments or a cure will be found so that he will never have to endure kidney failure and transplant”, says co-chair Alisan. “This is our 6th year walking in honor of our boys and the thousands of others affected by this terrible disease.”
Basketball stars Alonzo Mourning and Sean Elliot both suffered from FSGS. Elliott became the first player to return to the NBA after a kidney transplant, in the Spurs game against the Atlanta Hawks in 2000. Nephrotic Syndrome and FSGS are conditions that affect the tiny filtering mechanisms in the kidneys and the cause is not known. FSGS is a leading cause of kidney failure in children.
It is estimated that kidney disease affects 31 million people in the United States alone, with African Americans being 3 times more likely to experience kidney failure. Last year, 90,000 Americans were killed by kidney disease, more than breast cancer and prostate cancer. Some doctors believe kidney disease of this nature might be the next epidemic of our generation.
We want to thank all of our sponsors and volunteers, including Oxygen Financial, Gas South, Atlanta Braves, Fat Matt’s Rib Shack, and Fatbuck Deluxe. A special thank you to the wonderful team at the Roswell Junior Woman’s Club for their ongoing support and volunteers for the event.
To register or donate to the NephCure Kidney Walk, please visit support.nephcure.org/atlanta or contact Jayne Drew at jdrew@nephcure.org
