It’s the journey from within that keeps Cochranite Marie-Linda Plante making strides for kidney disease.
This will be the third year that Plante has made the end-of-summer journey, continue to step forward in the annual Kidney March – a three-day 100-km walk through Kananaskis Country Sept. 7 to 9.
As in previous years, she must raise $2,500 to participate in the major fundraiser to combat kidney disease – a disease that impacts one in 10 Canadians.
“You meet people who have donated a kidney, people who are waiting for a kidney, people still searching for a kidney,” said Plante.
“It’s such a victory. Even to think about it I almost have tears,” she said, adding that it’s an exhausting and rewarding feat. “You are so proud of yourself. It’s such an accomplishment to help so many people.”
Just as she did last year, Plante will be hosting a garage sale May 3 to 6 at her home at 2 West Broatch Place in West Valley. She continues to welcome gently used and quality donations for the sale and all funds raised go toward her fundraising campaign.
Plante works as a nursing assistant at the Northwest Calgary Hemodialysis Clinic in Calgary and also has her own respite, home and companion care business TTOGETHER.
Each day she assists in the dialysis treatments of nearly 60 patients. Dialysis patients typically arrive for treatment every second day and stay for hours at a time. The dialysis clinic currently has three daily rotations of 19 patients at a time.
Several of her dialysis clinic patients are from Cochrane and Morley.
One of Plante’s Cochrane patients is former Cochrane Eagle publisher Jack Tennant, who makes the trip into the Calgary northwest clinic three days a week for dialysis.
“She is totally dedicated to helping people. Not only does she raise money for the Kidney March – she participates. She’s one of those great people who make Cochrane a great community,” said Tennant.
Plante said she would love to see dialysis treatment become available in Cochrane – as she believes this would fill a need for those living in the Bow Valley region.
According to Bruce Conway, senior adviser of media relations for Alberta Health Services, there are 12 Bow Valley corridor residents who travel to Calgary for dialysis.
He was unable to identify whether or not it is on AHS’ sightlines to open dialysis services in Cochrane, only that resources are limited due to the specialized staffing requirements and that proximity to dialysis services is factored into opening rural services – Cochrane is 27 km from the northwest dialysis clinic.
According to the Kidney Foundation of Canada, while the average wait times in Canada for organ transplants from deceased donors (primarily liver, kidney and lung) is four years, the wait time in Southern Alberta is significantly behind – at eight to 10 years.
This has spurred a public education and awareness movement through moretransplants.ca – where live donors are being encouraged, as well as awareness to not only register for organ donation but for individuals to make their wishes known to their families for those in-the-moment decisions.
To register online for organ donation, visit moretransplants.ca/Alberta.
In 2016, 747 people were on the wait list for a transplant in Alberta. Of those, 45 died while waiting and another 43 withdrew from the list, becoming too sick to be eligible for transplant while waiting.
Each year, there are roughly 140 kidney transplants in Alberta.
There are currently 4,500 Canadians waiting for a donor organ, with 77 per cent of those waiting for a kidney. Forty two per cent of transplants come from a living donor.
Since 2007, the number of Canadians living with end-stage kidney disease has grown 36 per cent and 47 per cent of new patients are under the age of 65, with diabetes flagged as the leading cause.
For Plante, some days of care giving are harder on the heart than others.
There are the days when spirits are lively – where someone receives the news that a transplant match has been located and celebration is in the air.
Other days are difficult, where parents mourn the hardships faced by their children requiring dialysis.
She reflects on one of her current patients – a 17-year-old young man whose parents bring him to and from the clinic for treatment.
“It’s so tough on him – sometimes he gets an infection or has a high temperature … it’s just so sad sometimes.”
There are the full-circle stories that inspire Plante to keep walking year after year – like the couple she met last year that was able to “kidney swap” with another couple, where a spouse from each was a match for one another.
Or the man who wanted to give up his kidney as a way to give back to his community – who wound up being a perfect match with a fellow employee who he had never met, but who worked at the same organization.
“We need more people who donate,” said Plante, remarking on the selflessness of giving up an organ to give life to another human being.
According to the Kidney Foundation of Canada, Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) can range from mild to severe, where it turns to kidney failure. CKD is irreversible and often goes undetected until it enters later stages.
Once Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) develops into end stage renal disease, dialysis is required to prevent water, salt and waste from building up in the body, according to the National Kidney Foundation.
There are two types of dialysis: hemodialyis, where an artificial kidney or hemodialyzer is used to remove the buildup in the body and peritoneal, where your blood is cleaned inside your body by way of a catheter.
Dialysis will not cure kidney disease, it only does the work of healthy kidneys.
Dialysis is a treatment required throughout one’s life, unless the patient receives a transplant.
To support Plante’s Kidney March fundraising efforts, she can be reached at mlplante1@hotmail.com or 403-981-8008.
The goal for the Kidney March this year is to raise $650,000. Learn more at kidneymarch.ca.
