The 2015 CARSTAR's Great Strides Walk for Cystic Fibrosis will be taking place in Swift Current tomorrow, a worthy tradition the city has upheld for a number of years.
Put on by the Swift Current Kinsmen and Kinettes, the Great Strides Walk aims to help thousands of young Canadians fight Cystic Fibrosis, with around 70 walks taking place across the country. Cystic Fibrosis is the most common fatal genetic disease effecting young people, and there is no cure at this time.
"It's a defective gene, and it's protein product causes people living with the disease to produce an unusual thick sticky mucus that clogs the lungs and leads to life threatening infections. This mucus also obscures the pancreas and stops the natural enzymes from helping the body break down and absorb food," said Ben Laviolette of the Kinsmen. "There has been a lot of progress made over the disease and that's why we call it the Great Strides Walk, because we are making great strides through the years. Since they discovered the gene in 1989, they at least now know what to look for and there is tests being done to newborns and that kind of thing to help the process of healing the people."
The Kinsmen adopted the Cystic Fibrosis Walk across Canada as their national project, joining the organization in 1987, and the Swift Current chapter has been putting on the walk for about the last 20 years.
"It first started when Zeller's was in town, and it was called the Zeller's Moon Walk. The Kinsmen and Kinettes had supported the cause, and then when Zeller's closed doors in the community the Kinsmen and Kinettes club, particularly the Kinsmen because we fund the event, we kept it going for the families so they could participate locally instead of going to the major centers," explained Laviolette. "Since 2005, participants and volunteers have raised an incredible amount of $21 million, so that's a really good effort to help the cause. We made incredible progress with the fight against Cystic Fibrosis, but we still have a long way to go. So many lives are being cut short by this devastating disease."
"Anybody that comes in and brings a donation and registers for the walk can receive a t-shirt, and then we also provide a barbecue after the walk for the people that are involved. The walk is rain or shine, so be prepared if there are a little bit of showers on our shoulders."
Registration begins at 8am at the concession booth of Riverside Park.
Fri, Apr 26, 7:00 PM
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