Why I Walk

A dear friend of mine, Brian McPeak lost his battle to Kidney Cancer in July 2022. I was devastated because I didn't find out about his passing until a month later. I have known Brian since we were about 14 years old in high school in Louisville, Ohio. We worked together on a student work study program over the summer to help pay for our high school tuition. Brian would pick me up and give me a ride in his mom's station wagon on the hour ride to our high school. When I moved away to Georgia, I was sad to leave my friends. On a visit back to Ohio, Brian picked me up to take me to dinner at East Park to cheer me up! Eventually, Brian moved to Florida and with me in Georgia, he would always stay in touch while passing through Georgia and driving home to visit family in Ohio. On a trip to Orlando for a conference, my friend Brian drove 2 hours to visit me to catch up on our families and life. A few years later, when a hurricane came through Florida, my sister who lived there was trying to evacuate and Brian was there to offer her a ride to evacuate to Georgia. In March, 2021, my nephew passed and my family went to Florida to handle his arrangements, Brian drove 2 hours again, to visit with me and my family and to minister words of encouragement. We spent the entire day together catching up on life, his children, my children and sharing how great God has been to us! Brian was truly a soldier in the army of the Lord! This will be my first kidney walk, but I proudly raise funds and I will proudly walk in the Atlanta Kidney walk in honor of my dear friend Brian McPeak. I will always love and miss you my friend!

I walk to support the lifechanging work of the National Kidney Foundation:
     - To ensure that families will have a place to turn when they need answers.
     - To keep up the fight for policy changes to protect kidney patients and living donors.
     - To drive innovation in transplantation and get more loved ones off the kidney transplant waitlist.

Are you with me?

Please consider supporting my efforts with a generous donation.