It is a staggering fact that today 40 million Americans suffer from Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD). To bring these numbers closer to home; when you are in a room with seven people, one of you will have CKD, or one in every three will be closely connected to someone with CKD as in a mother, father, sister, brother, aunt, uncle.

In the early part of 1998 I found myself in the last days of stage four kidney failure. By November of '99 I was on dialysis. I can tell you, I wish that brand of suffering on no one. You can't begin to understand the terror of dialysis until you sit in that chair. Most people make it less than five years withstanding this traumatic lifestyle. I consider myself one of the few survivors. So I've chosen to spend the precious moments of my life EDUCATING and ADVOCATING for other people with kidney disease so they don't have to climb, crawl, push, and drag themselves over the same obstacles I have.

A few weeks ago I was talking to my buddy Kevin and he asked what was happening in my world of advocacy. I told him that the American Association of Kidney Patients (AAKP) is having a fundraising event in Tampa, Florida called the first annual "Fun Walk" and I was trying to figure out how I could go. To my amazement he said, "Lets book it! " He used airline points he had accunmulated from his job to send Gloria and I to the Fun Walk. Then my buddy Greg from 9mm Media jumped into action and said he'd do some branding to help me create "Team Idaho" for the event. This got my mind to turning... I wondered how many of my other friends would help me out with my indexers of raising money to help educate and advocate for other kidney patients.

On December 7th, Gloria and I will be in Tampa, Florida with Team Idaho walking for this fundraiser to EDUCATE and ADVOCATE for kidney patients everywhere. Please, if you see the need and want to help out, donate to the tax-deductible AAKP fun walks that I will be leading as Team Idaho. Remember, I got my leg amputated on August 13th and I have not walked a mile since June 21st. Hence, this will be quite an undertaking for me. However, I have my physicians' approvals to walk a mile that day so I'm going for it. Here's an idea I have to add some strategy and fun: you can place your bet (donation) in favor of me making it or you can place your bet that I get the big DNF (did not finish). Then when it's all said and done, we can have fun poking each other on who won!

Please help me tackle this epidemic by supporting my walk. You can also help by sharing this with your family and friends to give them the opportunity to help slow CKD to a snail's pace. Anything will help the cause no matter how big or small.