Maryland Kidney Walk brings awareness to kidney disease, organ donation

BALTIMORE - Hundreds of people came together for the Maryland Kidney Walk to raise awareness of kidney disease and organ donation on Sunday. 

Dozens of families came out to walk and show that fighting kidney disease can be the battle of a lifetime– but will never cause them to lose hope. 

Lucy Thoupos is five years old and Sadie Chadwick-Carter 58-years-young— two ladies whose stories are completely different. 

Sadie and Lucy have one thing in common you can't see; they are both kidney transplant recipients.

"Typically, they wouldn't have done it as young or as small as she was. She had hers at 18 months but because of her situation they really needed to fast track it and figure out a solution,' said Jonathan Thoupos, Lucy's Father. 

"And you know people are walking around and don't even know that their kidneys are damaged. Mine were damaged due to a long history of high blood pressure," said Sadie Chadwick-Carter, a kidney transplant recipient.

Through different stories, the two families agree — they're all in this battle together. 

Sadie has participated in the Maryland Kidney Walk since 2011, one year before she received her kidney transplant. 

Sadie received her transplant on October 22, 2012, from a deceased donor. 

Lucy was born with kidney disease and received a kidney transplant at 18 months. 

"It is scary – we know it is scary we've been there its still there. You are kind of alway there but it does get better and there are people out there that can help."

Both Sadie and Lucy joined hundreds of people at U-M-B-C for the National Kidney Foundation's Maryland Kidney Walk to help raise awareness for a disease they know all too well. 

"It will get better and there are resources and people out there that have been through not maybe your exact situation but a very similar situation than yours and connecting with them can be a huge sigh of relief."

The National Kidney Foundation (NKF) hosts more than 70 Kidney Walks around the nation every year to help raise funds, shine a light on kidney disease and continue helping families– like Lucy's and Sadie's.

"It is alway great to be in that sense of community which is why we want to continue to continue to come out," said Thoupos. 

"Get educated. Understand what is going on and why. Understand what is available to you," said Chadwick-Carter.

Post-transplant, Lucy's parents say she has blown through milestones: Standing, crawling, walking, etc. 

She is still G-tube fed but we hope to eliminate that at some point. 

She takes medication twice a day and has routine blood work. Other than that, she is a normal preschooler, her father told WJZ. 

Sadie calls herself VICTORIOUS. Now years after her transplant, she is able to be active at church, volunteer, and do more of the things she enjoys– including spending lots of time with her goddaughter.  

"I am still here. Thank God that I am still here," said Chadwick-Carter.

For more information about kidney disease and the National Kidney Foundation Serving Maryland and Delaware's events, programs, services and volunteer opportunities, visit www.kidneymd.org or call 410.494.8545.

The National Kidney Foundation (NKF) is the largest, most comprehensive, and longstanding organization dedicated to the awareness, prevention, and treatment of kidney disease. 

It improves the health and well-being of patients and families affected by these diseases and increases the availability of organs for transplant.