By David Walker
Baltimore Watchdog Staff Writer
The National Kidney Foundation of Maryland & Delaware held its 23rd annual Kidney Walk on Erickson Field around the UMBC campus Sunday, drawing more than 800 attendees.
The event was held to raise awareness of kidney disease, promote organ donation, and instill the importance of early screening and a healthy lifestyle.
“The education piece is incredibly important,” said Lisa Zawacki, executive director at the foundation. “We want to be visible, we want to have conversations, we really want to talk about it.”
Zawacki herself has stage 3 kidney disease. She didn’t know she had the illness until she was diagnosed five years ago. The disease is known as the “silent killer” because many patients don’t know they have the illness until it’s too late
“With stage 3 you don’t really feel anything, which is why it’s really scary,” Zawacki said. “You don’t know until you don’t feel well, then it’s almost too late. It’s a lot of getting blood work, getting checked, being mindful, eating better.”
According to the National Kidney Foundation, an estimated one in seven U.S. adults have kidney disease. Ninety percent of adults with the disease do not know they have it, the foundations says, and 80% of them have medical records that could indicate that they are already ill.
Among the Sunday crowd, numerous organ donors and recipients attended to show their support and how much a donation can make an impact in someone’s life.
“It was over 10 years ago now, my mom had kidney failure, and was in need of another kidney,” said Matthew Kopp, donning his “Donor” sash as he walked. “It took a grueling amount of time, over a year of testing, but I was the person to do it.”
Kopp’s mother died in March, but thanks to Kopp’s donation she was able to extend her life 10 years after her kidney failed.
There are over 90,000 people on the kidney waitlist, with 12 dying every day, the National Kidney Foundation says.
Danny Tyler was lucky enough to learn that his wife Mary was a match, and he was to receive one of her kidneys last October.
“Once they established that she was a match, we had to set up a date,” Tyler said. “I was on dialysis for a little better than three years. That’s not a good place to be. It’s living, but it’s walking dead.”
Dialysis is a medical treatment that helps drain fluids in place of the kidneys when they are not functioning properly. The treatment is helpful but takes a major toll on the body. The kidney foundations says many patients experience fatigue and major weight loss through the process.
“This is a hard disease to fight, especially if you don’t have teamwork and motivation,” said Aunder Russell, who received a kidney from her godbrother in 2007. “[When you are] on dialysis, it is mentally and physically exhausting. It puts you on a downward spiral.”
The event featured a music mix by DJ Young Fresh Prince, who received a kidney transplant when he was only 11 months old.
“I had low amniotic fluid around my body before I was even born, so they determined I had prune belly syndrome, which causes kidney failure,” Young Fresh Prince said. “So, when I was born, I had to go through dialysis and all that. Then when I was a little older, my mom gave me her kidney.”
The 2025 Kidney Walk is on pace to raise more than $250,000, with all the funds going into research and treatments. The foundation’s goal is to match patients with a donor and prevent them from going on dialysis, as there is no cure for kidney disease yet.
The National Kidney Foundation encourages routine check-ups, a healthy eating routine, and regular exercise. Maintaining these practices is a simple way to prevent kidney disease as well as you can.
“[Events like this] are completely fantastic and so influential,” said Ciera Stanley, who received a kidney in August, five years after finding out she needed one. “There are so many people out here, wearing their sashes that say “donor”, “recipient”, “dialysis patient”. All these people are touched by organ donation. Just to come out, do things like this, raise money, raise awareness, it’s the easiest thing you can do.”