Like many other local volunteers and residents who get involved with the annual Kidney Walk here in Morden, Graham and Lin Corlett have personal motivation to lace up their shoes.
The Morden couple have been on their own journey with kidney disease since Lin was diagnosed just before COVID really took off and had returned to Canada after having travelled to England for Christmas.
“On the way back, Lin was really, really sick,” Graham recalled. “So we got to the doctor, and they did some blood tests and sent it to a specialist, and all of a sudden they say you’ve got end stage kidney failure.
“Basically, it was you’re going on dialysis at the end of the week,” he recalled, noting that Lin was assessed as being at only four to five per cent kidney function.
Lin shared she was diagnosed with amyloidosis, which is a rare disease that occurs when a protein called amyloid builds up in organs and can make organs like the kidney not work properly. Some types of amyloidosis may lead to life-threatening organ failure.
“We started out with having to go to Winnipeg for the first six months or so … it gets so expensive to drive back and forth,” she noted. “Then they finally got me in here [at Boundary Trails Health Centre], and I did close to two years here.”
“Then they said would you consider home dialysis? So we looked into that, and we had to go for evaluation at Seven Oaks [General Hospital],” said Graham.
They passed the evaluation and then had staff came out to Morden to evaluate the home if it was suitable, and it also meant Graham taking several weeks of training to be able to take on the task.
“A training nurse comes out for the first treatment with us,” he said, recalling they started in 2021 and were the first in the Morden area to start with home dialysis, though there are a few now in the area.
“It’s worked out well because we can adjust our schedules as required,” he said, noting they do it three days a week but are able to do it at night now to get the six to seven hours that she needs.
“It’s while I’m sleeping, so that’s really nice because then you don’t waste the whole day,” Lin said.
“It’s also a lot easier on the body,” added Graham.
The Kidney Foundation holds fundraising walks across the country as a vital means of supporting their mission to ensure all Canadians with chronic kidney disease have access to high quality health care and essential support.
Every dollar raised fuels programs and services for those affected by kidney disease, which affects an estimated four million Canadians.
The local Kidney Walk is set for Sunday., June 8 in Morden Park with registration starting at 1 p.m. followed by a program at 1:30 p.m. and then the walk around 2 p.m.
“All of the money that’s raised here for the foundation mostly stays in this area … stays in Manitoba,” noted Graham.
This year will be the couple’s fourth time participating. Last year they raised $2,600.
“The more people you can get involved the better it is,” said Lin, who noted she looks forward to seeing the expanded Boundary Trails Health Centre having a new area for dialysis treatment.
“So hopefully we’ll be able to get more beds and hopefully be able to support more people coming in instead of them driving to Winnipeg.”
If you’d like to get involved in the Kidney Walk, register at kidney.akaraisin.com/ui/MBWALKS25.
