The National Kidney Foundation says it’s holding its fundraiser Friday on Whitecaps First Nation near Saskatoon in the hopes of spreading the news about kidney disease.
Founder Monica Goulet, who is Métis, says her kidney disease wasn’t caught early enough meaning she’s on dialysis until she can get a new kidney.
“It’s not an easy journey, it’s not and I’m not going to lie about that. It’s an important journey,” she said.
Her nephew donated his kidney to her in 2019.
According to statistics, one in three Indigenous people have “chronic kidney disease” while in the mainstream population the number is one in ten.
Retired Nephrologist Dr. Joanne Kappel says education is the most important thing when it comes to kidney health.
She and her colleagues designed a web site where people can learn more about it.
“It includes nine informational videos that talk about all the way from what the kidneys do to how do you treat kidney failure when the kidneys are not working,” she said.
