Kidney March & Our Sleep Quarters

This is the tent that my daughter and I are going to sleep in for 2 nights during our 100Km walk in September. It is for the Kidney Foundation of Canada and starts on September 10-12 - we walk for 3 days (20 mi a day). Then at night, the above will be our sleeping quarters. YIKES!! I hope I lose a LOT of weight by then (and my daughter as well) or it is going to be a very tight fit to put us both in there. Fortunately there is a door on both sides so we don't have to crawl over each other to get out to use the facilities.

The following is why we are sleeping in these small tents and raising funds for.

From their Website:
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Why March? Why Now?

A crisis is looming

Two million Canadians have chronic kidney disease or are at risk. Most people don't know that they are at risk. Most don't know they have it until it's too late. The numbers are growing at an alarming rate. In southern Alberta alone, the number of people living with chronic kidney failure has doubled in the last ten years. 70% of people who are on the organ donor waiting list are waiting for a kidney.

There is no cure.

Kidney disease is irreversible, and each year it kills thousands of Canadians. These numbers are growing. Kidney disease cases are expected to double in the next ten years. Unless we as concerned citizens stand up and take action, this silent disease will continue to take lives and livelihoods.

Not only does kidney disease cost enormous amounts of money for our health care system, it devastates individuals and their families. More than half of the people living with kidney disease in southern Alberta live on or below the poverty line. Entire families are impacted when one member has kidney disease, and it's a life-long illness.

We are asking you to do the most you can possibly do – walk the furthest you've ever walked, raise the most money you've ever raised, and commit to truly making a difference. Walking 100 kilometres over 3 days is an intimidating feat; after all, we're all just normal, everyday people. But, we believe the only time we can be brave is when we're afraid. And we're ready to be brave for this cause.
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The following is a little information about our Kidney's and I didn't know they did this much before I got involved in this:

Normally there are two of them, one on either side of the spine under the lower ribs. They are reddish brown in colour and shaped like kidney beans. Each kidney is about the size of your clenched fist. Many other organs depend on the kidneys in order to work properly.

The main job of the kidneys is to remove wastes from the blood and return the cleaned blood back to the body. Every minute, about one litre of blood, enters the kidneys through the renal arteries. After the blood is cleansed, it flows back towards the heart through the renal veins.

Kidneys are so important because:

1. 
   
   They regulate water. For your body to work properly, it must contain just the right amount of water. One of the important jobs of the kidney is to remove excess water from the body or to retain water when the body needs more.
2. 
   
   Kidneys remove wastes and balance the body's minerals. Many of the substances in the blood and body fluid must be kept at the correct level for the body to function properly. For example, sodium and potasium are minerals which come from food. These minerals are needed by the body for good health, but they must be kept at specific levels. When the kidneys are working properly, excess minerals are excreted from the body in the urine. They also help to regulate the levels of other minerals, such as calcium and phosphate which are important for the formation of bone.
   
   Wastes such as urea and creatinine must also be removed from the body. Urea and other wastes are made when the body breaks down protein, such as meat. Creatinine is a waste product of the muscles. As kidney function decreases, the levels of urea and creatinine in the blood increase. Creatinine is a very useful measure of kidney function.
   
   The kidneys must also remove the chemical by-products that are produced when certain medications are taken; otherwise toxic amounts may build up in  the body.
3. 
   
   Kidneys produce hormones. Normal kidneys also make chemical messangers called hormones. These hormones circulate in the bloodstream and regulate some body functions such as blood pressure, the making of red blood cells, and the uptake of calcium from the intestine.

My daughter and I know several families that are affected by Kidney Disease so we are walking for them. To help raise funds for further research of this disease.

Edited Note: I was asked by several of my readers to please post a link to my sponsorship page so I have done so over on the right hand side of this page.
I am not going to post any link to our sponsorship site because it just doesn't feel right to do so here. I am sure you have causes of your own local to your area.  However if  you are interested in helping with this cause, please email me at the address in my profile and I will give you more details.

I hope you all have a FANTASTIC weekend.
ttyl
Sandra