The National Kidney Foundation of Hawaii is hosting its ninth annual Da Kidney Da Kine Day April 26 at the Queen Ka’ahumanu Center in Kahului. The event, which is designed to create public awareness of kidney disease, will feature fun and music for the entire family in addition to providing medical information and screenings.
Jimmy Mac and the Kool Kats will kick off the festivities at 10 am. The Lahaina Jam Band—with help from DJ Ron–will host a Keiki Kendama toy presentation, during which everyone in attendence is welcome to demonstrate their Kendama skills.
Kaiser Permanente’s Dr. Elly Huang, P. D. M., will host a presentation on diabetic podiatry; and free kidney disease screenings will be provided by NKF-Hawaii’s staff and medical volunteers, who will be on hand from 10am-2pm. The screenings, for those 18 years and older, will detect signs of early kidney disease, high blood pressure and high blood sugar. Those going through the screening will receive personalized results and have a one-on-one consultation with a medical professional.
Additionally, WE, a health hui, will be providing free vision and hearing screenings at the Project Vision Hawaii Van, which will be parked in front of Ruby’s. Several other groups will provide information and additional screenings near the mall’s Center Stage.
Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) is called a “silent disease” because most people that have it don’t know it until it’s too late and their kidneys are already failing, according to Jill Holley, National Kidney Foundation’s Maui Branch Manager. “In fact, Hawaii leads the country in chronic kidney disease with a rate of 30% higher than the national average,” Holley said in a statement. CKD is widely undetected and under-diagnosed, she added. The leading causes of Kidney Disease are high blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease and a family history of kidney disease. The groups most at risk in Hawaii include Native Hawaiians, Filipinos and Japanese. “The great news is that with early detection, education, medication and lifestyle changes, CKD is treatable,” Holley said. “With early intervention, patients have a chance to reverse or control CKD in the early stages, and to avoid or delay the progression of kidney disease to end-stage kidney failure and the need for dialysis treatments or a kidney transplant to survive.”
The Da Kidney Da Kine Day event is important to create public awareness about the silent and rapidly escalating Chronic Kidney Disease Epidemic (CKD) which currently afflicts one in seven Maui residents, and secondly, to encourage Maui residents to attend the event to get their free early kidney disease screening in an effort to help them avoid kidney failure.
Da Kine Day also will feature an exhibit to educate the community about organ donation and transplantation, which includes talking story with living kidney donors and organ transplant recipients who have either donated or received the “Gift of Life” from a stranger, family member or friend.
Volunteer groups for the Da Kidney Da Kine include the Zone of Maui Lion’s Clubs, Maui High School’s Health Occupations Student Association of America, the Alpha Delta Kappa members and the UH Maui College Nursing Program. For more information call the Maui office of the National Kidney Foundation of Hawaii at 808-986-1900.
Photo courtesy National Kidney Foundation of Hawaii
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