August 2016 PKD e-News
Awareness
Health Canada Recognizes September 4th as National PKD Awareness Day
Though PKD affects thousands in Canada and millions worldwide, many people have never heard of it. Together, we can change this! #PKDAwarenessDay is our day to raise awareness about this disease and the devastating impact it has on generation after generation.
There's not just one single way to raise awareness. You can spread the word in whatever way or format that works for you. Share your story with someone, wear your #endPKD t-shirt, change your Facebook profile picture, tweet your favorite celebrity or local politician, post a video... it's all up to you!
Check out the video below that we've created especially for the day! Feel free to share it with your friends, family and co-workers to help them better understand life with PKD.
Don't forget to use #PKDAwarenessDay and #endPKD to join the online conversation. The more people that know about PKD, the closer we can get to treatments and a cure. Together, let's raise awareness and end PKD!
To learn more about how you can get involved, click here.
Mayors in several Canadian cities will have special proclamations with the presence of PKD Foundation of Canada Chapter Coordinators and PKD patients: Ottawa, Toronto and Barrie have confirmed so far.
Register Today for the 2016 Walk for PKD
We are pleased to be hosting Walk for PKD events in Guelph, Montreal and Toronto once again this year! Additionally, for the first time ever, we will be hosting a Walk for PKD in Ottawa! For more information on these events, click here .
The Walk for PKD signifies a united group, moving towards treatments and a cure for polycystic kidney disease (PKD), one of the most common life-threatening genetic diseases affecting thousands in Canada. You can make a positive impact by joining a Walk in your community, or creating a virtual Walk page.
Registration is easy!
Visit endpkd.ca/walkforpkd to find a Walk near you. Choose whether you would like to participate as a team or register as an individual.
After registering online, you can take advantage of features like:
- creating a personal fundraising page to track dollars raised
- tools to email friends, family and colleagues
- making your kickoff gift online
Why walk?
The Walk for PKD is the PKD Foundation of Canada's signature fundraising event, raising more than $686,000 since 2007. This has helped move us closer to finding treatments. Funds raised also help provide education and support services, both online and in local communities.
We've made great strides but need your help in keeping the momentum going. We know we can exceed the $167,000 raised last year by recruiting more participants and engaging every walker in fundraising. With your help, we can look forward to a time when no one will have to suffer the full effects of PKD.
Sign up today and help us END PKD!
Remember - every dollar raised brings us that much closer to the ultimate finish line: A cure for PKD!
If you have any questions regarding the 2016 Walk for PKD, please do not hesitate to contact us either by phone at 1-877-410-1741 or by email at [email protected].
Learn
PKD Health Notes with Renal Dietician, Kelly Welsh: Snacks for a Kidney Diet
Whether you eat three regular meals, more frequent smallermeals, or your meals seem to blend into the next - for every eating
plan out there, snacks can play a major role in a healthy diet. When you have polycystic kidney disease (PKD), whether you're in the early stages or on dialysis, snacking should be a regular addition to your daily diet. Healthy snacking is key, and will most likely, require a bit of planning.
Webinar - Total Kidney Volume (TKV) and PKD
Total Kidney Volume (TKV) is a key biomarker for PKD clinical studies. Learn exactly what it means, how it is calculated and why it is an important tool for the development of new therapies for the treatment of PKD.
Presented by David Baron, Ph.D., Chief Scientific Officer for the PKD Foundation.
Support
Toronto Walk for PKD Launch Party
Date: Monday August 29th, 2016
Time: 5:30 pm- 9:30 pm
Place: Moxie's Bar & Grill Suite 105-4950 Yonge St., North York, ON M2N 6K1
Come join us for the official Toronto Walk for PKD Launch Party, leading up to this year's 15th Annual Toronto Walk for PKD! There will be complimentary food catered by Moxie's Bar & Grill, various raffles to enter, a fantastic silent auction and more!
This is always a great opportunity to kick your Walk for PKD fundraising efforts into high gear! Bring your friends, family, co-workers and entire Walk for PKD team out for a wonderful night of great food and friends, as we continue to increase awareness of PKD in the local community.
Join the official Facebook event here!
Ottawa Mayor Declares September 4th as PKD Awareness Day in the Nation's Capital
Date: Friday September 2, 2016
Time: 12:00 pm - 2:00 pm
Place: Ottawa Civic Hospital in the amphitheater, Rm 1-7883, on level 1 across from Tim Hortons.
Please join us for a presentation from Deputy Mayor Mark Taylor along with our Keynote Speaker Dr. Manish Sood who will be discussing his relationship to PKD as a nephrologist, professor and researcher at the Ottawa.Hospital. Also, Ottawa Chapter Coordinator, Gina Hedges, will be discussing her journey with PKD. You don't want to miss it!
Please RSVP to [email protected] to reserve your spot.
Ottawa Walk for PKD Launch Party
Date: Friday September 16, 2016
Time: 7:00 pm- 11:00 pm
Place: Hooley's Pub, 292 Elgin St., Ottawa, ON K2P 1M3
Come join us for the official Ottawa Walk for PKD Launch Party, leading up to this year's 1st Annual Ottawa Walk for PKD! There will be food catered by Hooley's Pub, various raffles to enter, a silent auction, DJ and more!
The cost to attend this event is $20.00 (at the door).
This is always a great opportunity to kick your Walk for PKD fundraising efforts into high gear! Bring your friends, family, co-workers and entire Walk for PKD team out for a wonderful night of great food and friends, as we continue to increase awareness of PKD in the local community.
To RSVP, contact Gina Hedges, Ottawa Chapter Coordinator at [email protected].
Join the official Facebook event here!
New Blog Post: PKD Will Not Beat Me - 14 years of life post-transplant
"In honor of my 14-year kidney transplant anniversary, I want to rewind to the year I received my transplant and recall major events that have taken place each year since, both good and bad, because life is a beautiful blend of triumph and adversity."
Read Valen's full blog post here.
PKD Will Not Beat Me is an inspirational place for those seeking a positive environment to meet others with polycystic kidney disease (PKD) - to share stories, to ask questions and to make life-long friendships, encouraging each other to live positively along the way! PKD Will Not Beat Me is written by PKD patient and transplant recipient Valen Keefer.