Seriously.

On the September 15 & 16 across the country in over 75 cities there is a Walk for PKD. It is a national event for the PKD Foundation and in our city, we’re having our 6th annual event. Last year the events raised over 2.4 million dollars for research, something near and dear to our family. Polycystic Kidney Disease is one of the diseases that has had an incredible influx of promising research that actually will make a difference for PKD sufferers. It probably won’t meant anything to Gage and Quinn’s treatment, but they could actually witness and be part of finding treatments and a cure during their lifetime. Now that’s important. That could mean a family like ours won’t have to go through what we have. There are currently 16 clinical trials for children and adults that suffer with PKD.

So go to the PKD Foundation web site and Walk for PKD section here and see if there is one in your city.

See how much fun we had?

Registration cuts off September 7th. If you can’t attend, but want to make a donation in honor of Gage or Quinn, let me know and I’ll send you a link to their pages. Registration can be a little tricky because there are a few screens, but luckily all of you are Internet savvy!

If you do sign up to participate, please check the box that Restricts fund to ARPKD Research – that’s Gage and Quinn’s type of PKD and obviously means a lot to us.

I should mention that these walks are planned locally by PKD peeps like me*. They have PKD, they know someone that does, or they have lost someone to PKD. These aren’t PKDF staff-planned events either. The PKD Foundation does an incredible job supporting us with the tools for success, but this is a grassroots effort that started less than 6 years back and raised $100,000. Our goal this year is to raise $3.55 million dollars and the grassroots effort in 75 cities will do it.

Come on, see if there is a Walk in your city and go do it! Bring the kids! Pre-registered fee is $15/adults $10/kids under 12. You can register same day. Then a t-shirt is yours!

I swear if any of my friends and family register same day I will throw donuts at you.

A cure is our finish line. (Isn’t that clever? I didn’t come up with it though.)

*And The Village. Thanks to Carolee too, my co-chair for our event here.