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This year's Tour DaVita, a four day bike ride aimed at raising funds forkidney disease awareness, took place in the State of Wisconsin with 217DaVita(R) teammates (employees) participating in the event. The riders wentapproximately 240 miles throughout the tour and altogether rode more than43,000 to help raise awareness of CKD -- a silent epidemic that affects 26million adult Americans. By increasing awareness among the CKD population,DaVita hopes to delay or prevent the progression to kidney failure.
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"Our 32,000 teammates are dedicated to helping patients with chronickidney disease in their centers and in raising funds for CKD awareness andeducation programs," explained Kent Thiry, DaVita Chairman and CEO. Thiry andhis wife, Denise O'Leary, personally contributed $1 for every mile ridden by aDaVita teammate, totaling more than $43,000. "I was so privileged to ridealongside my fellow teammates and help promote this important awarenessevent."
Of the 26 million Americans with CKD, only one in ten is aware they havethe disease because early-stages of the illness rarely manifest symptoms. Thislack of awareness is a major reason for undertaking the Tour DaVita ride andprovides participants with the motivation and desire to educate and inform thegeneral public. Riders want people to know the importance of getting testedearly, rather than waiting until it is too late to treat without requiringdialysis care or a kidney transplant.
"The spirit of the riders was amazing -- coming from all parts of thecountry to ride together and make a personal contribution to the fight againstkidney disease. These dedicated DaVita teammates spent countless hourstraining for the ride, while raising thousands of dollars for the fightagainst kidney disease," said Barbara L. Lawson, President of The KidneyTRUST. "All of us at The Kidney TRUST are so pleased and proud to be thebeneficiary of their efforts, which will support the expansion of the TRUST'sCKD rapid-screening program currently rolling out around the U.S."
Early testing and detection gives those with CKD an opportunity to takecontrol of their disease and avoid the onset of life threatening kidneyfailure, which would require dialysis or a kidney transplant because there isno cure for CKD. In addition, those at high risk for CKD can help protecttheir kidneys by controlling high blood pressure, maintaining their bloodsugar, drinking lots of water, and consuming a healthy diet. For moreinformation about the Tour DaVita, please visit http://www.tourdavita.org.
DaVita and Tour DaVita are trademarks or registered trademarks of DaVitaInc. All other trademarks are property of their respective owners.
About The Kidney TRUST
The Kidney TRUST was founded in 2006 by DaVita Inc. The Kidney TRUST isan independent, non-profit organization that believes everyone should beempowered to take a proactive role in their health. The Kidney TRUST seeks toreduce the advancement of chronic kidney disease (CKD) by broadly deployingcost-effective rapid-screening for CKD in non-medical settings, and providingfinancial assistance to people affected by CKD. For more information visithttp://www.kidneytrust.org.
About DaVita Inc.
DaVita Inc., a FORTUNE 500(R) company, is a leading provider of kidneycare in the United States, providing dialysis services and education forpatients with chronic kidney failure and end stage renal disease. DaVitamanages more than 1,400 outpatient facilities and acute units in more than 700hospitals located in 43 states and the District of Columbia, servingapproximately 110,000 patients. As part of DaVita's commitment to building ahealthy, caring community, DaVita develops, participates in and donates tonumerous programs dedicated to transforming communities and creating positive,sustainable change for children, families and our environment. For moreinformation about DaVita, its kidney education materials, and its communityprograms, please visit http://www.davita.com.
SOURCE DaVita Inc.
