Kidney Walk Seeks To Raise Awareness Of Living Donors

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- Thousands of people will take life-saving steps Saturday morning during the 11th annual Twin Cities Kidney Walk in Eagan.

Organ donors, patients, family and friends will be on hand to celebrate life and raise money for those fighting the disease.

Most people use social media to connect with family and friends. But it may be instrumental in saving 38-year-old Zandra Jezior's life.

She needs a living donor to give her a kidney. Her journey started when she was 12 and diagnosed with juvenile lupus. Things were good for 25 years.

"I had a normal life. I was in grad school at the Carlson School at the University of Minnesota, and my life came to a halt when my kidneys failed," Zandra said.

That was two years ago. She now spends eight hours a day on dialysis. She is now on the waiting list, with 100,000 others across the country.

"It's five-to-seven-years long, and a life on dialysis is really not possible for that long, and I need to find my own living donor," Zandra said.

So her family helped her build the website Kidney for Zandra.

"I tell everybody please share the word," Zandra said. "My life depends on it."

Jennifer Lauerman from the National Kidney Foundation says 26 million people currently live with kidney disease.

"Most people are healthy, they have healthy kidneys and you only need one, so people can step up and be a living kidney donor so that people like Zandra don't have to live a life on dialysis," Jennifer said.

She hopes people attend this year's kidney walk to learn how they can help people like Zandra.

"It's a personal choice, but it deserves a lot of thought," Zandra said.

Registration for the Kidney Walk begins at 9 a.m. at Thompson Reuter's Campus in Eagan. WCCO's Reg Chapman will emcee the event.

Click here if you want to take part.