Cochranite Marie-Linda Plante is marching into her fourth year of support for kidney disease.
Plante is gearing up to gift away her goods next weekend with her annual four-day garage sale – May 2–5 from 8 a.m. – 8 p.m. (Thursday through Sunday) at her residence 2 West Broatch Place – where all proceeds go toward her $2500 goal to participate in the annual Kidney March.
This year the Kidney March takes place Sept. 6 to 8 through Kananaskis, where Plante will join the ranks of other walkers to march 100 km in three days.
"This is more than just a walk. This is big. I am joining hundreds in a united front against kidney disease," said Plante, a nursing assistant at the Northwest Calgary Hemodialysis Clinic in Calgary for nine years who also has her own respite, home and companion care business.
"Kidneys are two of the hardest working organs in your body, removing waste, excess water, and controlling mineral and hormone levels. When your kidneys aren't functioning, it impacts every aspect of your life," said explained.
"You can lose 80 per cent kidney function without symptoms, many people don't know they have kidney disease until their kidneys fail. Fifteen Canadians are newly diagnosed with kidney failure every day ... it is a leading cause of death in Canada and there is no cure."
To honour her patients living with kidney disease, Plante proudly displays their names on her banner – including late Cochrane Eagle publisher Jack Tennant who died of kidney failure on May 20, 2018 and was one of Plante's patients.
A recent inspiration for Plante is a father of three who was receiving dialysis at the clinic where she works. The family was suffering from financial peril and with no notice they were given the gift of a new kidney when a tragic car accident cost another father of two his life – but saved Plante's patient with a successful organ donation.
"The transplant has been successful and his life and family has change for the better," remarked Plante.
"All the staff are so excited when our patients get a transplant, we know their lives have been change for the better."
This is year 10 for the Kidney March, with a goal to raise $1 million this year.
To support Plante’s Kidney March fundraising efforts, she can be reached at [email protected] or 403-981-8008 or stop by her garage sale.
