Over 60 people marched in the Kidney Foundation of Canada Kidney Walk Sunday morning in Dollard des Ormeaux. They set off at 11:30 a.m. from the Hindu Mandir Temple and toured Centennial Park behind the DDO Civic Centre before heading back. The event also served as a fundraiser as donations received on location and online surpassed $15,000.

According to the Kidney Foundation of Canada, close to 12,000 people in Québec suffer from renal disease. More than 4,600 people are on dialysis, 3,700 are transplant recipients and 6,400 are in pre-dialysis. At the final stage of kidney failure, only dialysis or a transplant will guarantee survival. In Quebec, out of 1,200 people who are awaiting an organ transplant, 78 per cent are waiting for a kidney.

The walk is back

It was the first time in four years that a kidney walk was held in the West Island. In the last few years, West Islanders who wished to show support for people with renal problems had to go to Lafontaine Park close to the downtown area.

The over 60 walkers in Dollard des Ormeaux were joined throughout the province by hundreds of others who marched in nine other simultaneous events in various regions. To the amazement of the organizers in Dollard, many people who walked the streets and trails of Dollard Sunday weren’t even West Islanders.

“I’m diagnosed with chronic kidney disease. It’s me and my family’s first year coming out for the walk. I’m waiting for a transplant right now. I’ve already had a transplant in the past but I’m having complications so I need another one,” 30-year-old Adrian Dinardo from Lasalle who came with his wife, 11-month son and four-year-old daughter.

Tetiana Gerych who lives downtown also made the journey to Dollard to show support. Although she is not dealing with the disease on a personal level, she got involved as early as 1988 with the Foundation and this year, she was able to raise over $8,400 for the cause. She said it was because of Harold Ashenmil, one of the founders of the Kidney Foundation of Canada, that she decided to get involved, almost 25 years ago.

“Harold Ashenmil was a partner in the law firm that I joined in 1988. One evening he asked me if I was available to attend a meeting and I am still involved to this day. It's a good cause because it is a very difficult disease which makes the quality of life for patients very poor. It is also a lesser-known disease because it is not fatal on a short-term basis. But money is still needed for research and to help out patients. We must be able to continue to improve patients' lives,” she said.

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