Team Logan represented by Logan - in the right side stroller - and his family at Reston’s Kidney Walk
More than 300 people banded together to support the fight against kidney disease on Sunday.
The National Kidney Foundation’s fourth annual Reston Kidney Walk in the town center garnered about $83,000 from pre-registered walkers alone.
“This is more of a family-driven event,” said NKF Development Manager Jessica Shatzel. “Our gala is a corporate driven event. A lot of our teams are families that return year after year.”
Jessica Blevins, Gainsville, and her family came out to support the NKF walk with a “Team Logan” banner.
“My 2-and-a-half year old son, Logan, was born with a rare genetic disorder,” she said.
Before he was 4 months old, both of his kidneys became dysfunctional and he was placed on dialysis. Last June, his father donated a kidney to help keep his son alive.
“I’m walking for my son and my husband, who unfortunately couldn’t be here because he’s out of town. We like to share our story so people know they can make living donations.”
She was not the only one who joined the walk because of her personal story.
Myrna Ignacio, Waldorf, joined the walk after beating kidney cancer.
“Out of nowhere, in November, I found out I had cancer - kidney cancer,” she said. “I was a healthy person before that. I just knew something was wrong.”
She said she caught it in stage two.
“It could have been worse,” she said.
Kate Brogue, Vascular Institute of Virginia Director of Business Development, said her team of four had a vested interest in kidney disease.
“The majority of our patients are dialysis patients,” she said.
This is the second year her team dedicated time to do the walk.
“Comparable to years passed, this is great,” she said about the balmy temperatures. “We’re thrilled to see so many people here. It’s great to be recognized as a company that contributes - but it’s not about us. It’s about the patients.”
The next local Kidney Walk will be a three mile loop in D.C. at Freedom Plaza. To pre-register for the walk, sign up as a volunteer or donate, visit kidneywalk.org. Donations for the Reston Kidney Walk can still be made online until the end of May.