On Sunday 8 September the Mount Isa community are urged to step out in red to show their support for people in their community living with kidney disease.
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The annual Big Red Kidney Community Walk will commence at Mount Isa Civic Centre at 9am-12noon to raise awareness and funds to fight kidney disease and show support for loved ones who are bravely living with the debilitating impacts of the disease.
"It'll be good to get everyone down to support those within our community who are impacted by kidney disease," Walk organiser Pania Enoka said.
According to Kidney Health Australia, 1.7 million Australians are affected by kidney disease but 1.5 million of those are unaware they're living with the disease.
"The shocking fact about kidney disease is that a person can lose up to 90pc of their kidney function before any symptoms are apparent," Kidney Health Australia CEO Chris Forbes said.
"A person could be relatively fine one day and the next they could be in hospital facing a life sentence of continuous dialysis or on a transplant list, waiting for a suitable kidney donor."
"We need to prevent people reaching this point so the Walks are a great opportunity to get the message out to the community to check their kidney health," Mr Forbes said.
Mr Forbes said the Walks help fund vital early detection work, research and support activities.
"Our fundraising target for all the Walks is $350,000 but we'd love to smash it so we can do more for our kidney community," he said.
"We urge everyone to get down to the Walk, dressed in red and enjoy a day of fun, entertainment and exercise, all to help fight kidney disease."
There's still plenty of time for people to register for the Mount Isa walk at www.bigredkidneywalk.org.au
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