Kidney Walk 2014

The San Francisco Kidney Walk was last weekend. My Hubby and I attended and we had a great time.

It was also my first time “live tweeting” an event. It was a lot of fun. It sort of brought out my inner Lois Lane. I felt like a journalist or a social media expert – cool.

I posted a lot of pictures on Twitter. But for those who don’t use Twitter, I am featuring a selected few in this post, including some that I did not tweet, so you can participate virtually.

The Kidney Walk "Health Fair" and Mission Zone: Great turnout today. It's also the perfect day in San Francisco for a walk.

The bibs that we picked up for the walk: one for me, one for my Hubby, my hero.

Inspirational speech and performance by Scott MacIntyre, American Idol Finalist. He is legally blind, and at 19 years old, was diagnosed with kidney failure. Thanks to the wife of one of his music teachers, he received a kidney. His story and song "I am Hope" are inspirational. I hope it gives hope to the thousands of people waiting for a kidney.

Our walk starting: The crowd is ready to go. 

Cheerleaders motivating us. In the background, you can see how long the procession is. 

The Walk Back: You can see how far we walked, the Ferry Building clock tower is in the background (about a mile and a half away). We walked about 3 miles.

Almost there: More cheerleaders motivating to the last steps. 

Made it! Finish Line! Here's the obligatory selfie.

Overall, it was a wonderful day and lots of fun. The crowd was energized and ready to walk. This was not a competitive walk. Folks were walking at their own pace and enjoying a beautiful San Francisco day. The goal really was and will continue to be community building, support, and fellowship. 

My husband and I will be doing it again and already making plans for next year's walk and fundraising goals. I hope this post showed the participation, excitement, and joy in the crowd. Hope you will join us in the walk next year and in the fight against kidney disease. 

2013 San Francisco Kidney Walk

Last weekend was Kidney Walk weekend in the Bay Area. Hubby and I participated in the walk in San Francisco. It was a wonderful day in the City – a perfect day for a walk along the Embarcadero. The temperature was mild, the sun was shining, there was a very light breeze, and lots and lots of smiling faces.

There we go...

I was pleasantly surprised about the HUGE turnout this year. It was much larger this year compared to last. Huge teams participated including one from a local high school, a big group of friends and family, and even one from a local dialysis center. We even had a very high profile corporate sponsor – Hewlett-Packard.  Amongst these huge teams were families, couples, and individuals – all of us united in a common goal, i.e., to celebrate life and, to raise kidney disease research monies.

Walking, walking, walking...

I even saw one of the technicians from my old dialysis center. He recognized me in the sea of people and faces. We exchanged hugs. I miss my friends there. We had been together “through thick and thin” for some four years. I am overdue for a friendly visit.

It was quite encouraging for me to see so many people supporting the walk.

Kidney disease can be a silent killer. Per the NKF website, “because symptoms may not appear until the kidneys are actually failing, millions of people with kidney damage remain unaware and are not taking steps to protect the health of their kidneys.” I am extremely happy that there is a growing awareness of the disease. As an example, the kids from the local high school were mostly of minority backgrounds. These groups are often most affected by kidney disease. With these youngsters as new advocates for the cause, both awareness and prevention of this disease will certainly grow, improve.

Hubby and I enjoyed a slow walk since we were also playing tourist, checking out restaurants, watching passersby’s, and taking pictures. Hubby is thinking about volunteering next year. As for me, I am looking forward to participating next year again, maybe even targeting an all-star level. I should start fundraising now!

P.S. I am happy to report that the 2013 San Francisco Walk has exceeded its goal by almost $50,000! If you have not donated yet this year, there is still time. I believe the NKF is accepting donations through the end of July. A warm “THANK YOU” to all who made a donation on my behalf!