Members of the BRHS dialysis team – and some of their clients – are stepping up their fight against kidney disease for Kidney Health Australia’s Red Socks Run fundraiser in October.
The team, known as the BRHS Kidney Beanz, will each cover 60km in the month of October to represent the average 60 hours a month people with advanced kidney disease spend on dialysis.
They aim to raise $2,000 for Kidney Health Australia to support research and kidney disease support services.
Team member and Dialysis Unit Administration Support Officer Barb Dobson said dialysis staff will be joined by clients, who will cover 60km each alongside our BRHS runners – virtually.
“It’s only just under 2km a day for each day for a month,” Barb said.
“And we have stationary bikes for our clients so they can get their 2km a day in.”
Pedal power drives Garry
Eagle Point resident Garry Cawse said he’s looking forward to saddling up to do his bit for the BRHS Kidney Beanz.
Garry, who attends the dialysis unit three times a week, will mount a stationary cycle in the dialysis unit to complete his 60km.
“I walk a bit. It’ll be no problem,” he said.
“I walk each day into town to get my paper, 12 minutes there and 12 minutes back.”
Good cause
Lesley Tozer is Kidney Health Australia Donor Care Coordinator and a dialysis patient for the past 11 years.
She called on the BRHS Kidney Beanz last week during a visit to Gippsland to meet the team and deliver some red socks.
She said the fundraiser means a lot to people with kidney disease.
“It means everything. It’s so important just to get awareness out there. If we reach one person who’s out there, and they have got symptoms, and we can avoid them going into dialysis like me, that’s great.
“Like a lot of people, I lost 90% of my kidney function when I found out, and it was too late.”
The Red Socks Run fundraiser supports kidney disease research and Kidney Health Australia initiatives like Transplant House – sites in Perth, Adelaide and Melbourne that offer accommodation for transplant patients, their loved ones and carers during transplant treatment, and the Gippsland-born Big Red Kidney Bus.
The buses operate in Victoria and New South Wales, with hopes for a third in Queensland soon. Each has 6 dialysis chairs for people with kidney disease to enjoy a break away from home.
The buses travel to different locations in big cities or regional areas. Kidney Health Australia advises patients where the buses will be.
“It means a lot. For some people, it’s the only break they’ll get. If you want to have a holiday it’s so hard because most public dialysis clinics are full with local residents, as they should be, and going private is so expensive,” Lesley said.
Kidney Health Australia hopes to launch a new Queensland bus soon.
Vince Tripodi, a Traralgon man and Lions Club member with kidney disease who found it difficult to get away to the Gippsland Lakes for a holiday, came up with the idea, a world first. Sadly, he died before the first Big Red Kidney Bus entered service.
Kidney Health Australia develops and produces resources to support new kidney patients at dialysis units around Australia and provides health professionals with the tools to best manage kidney disease at all stages.
Support the Kidney Beanz
There are two ways that you can support the Red Socks Run.
You can donate direct to the BRHS Kidney Beanz via this link.
Or, you can buy your own red socks (one design with an Indigenous theme) from the Kidney Health Australia website.
Stay tuned for updates about the Kidney Beanz and their progress.
Caption: Pictured (from left): Lesley Tozer, dialysis patient Ashlee Edwards, nurse Abbey Greenwood, dialysis patient Garry Cawse, nurse Lynne Bridle and dialysis Nurse Unit Manager Justin Hamilton.
