Polycystic Kidney Disease (PRD)What You Should Know but for the entire family. That’s why the Sclater-Booths have decided to reach out to other families and help spread awareness (NAPSA)—Polycystic kidney disease (PKD) is the most commonlife-threatening genetic disease in the world—yet few even know it exists. of PKD. In the last year, Kirsten PKD affects more newborns, children and adults than cystic fibrosis, muscular dystrophy, hemophilia, sickle cell anemia and Down syndrome combined— yet it still doesn’t have a cure. More than 600,000 Americans and 12.5 million across the globe battle PKD every day—yet many don’t know they haveit. For Kirsten and Stuart Sclater-Booth, statistics like those are scary. And all too real. Their son, 4-year-old Luke, has a relatively rare form of PKD called autosomal recessive polycystic kidney disease or ARPKD. According to the PKD Foundation, the often deadly disease only affects one in 10,000 babies and can cause significant mortality in the first monthoflife. Although Luke survived, his short life hasn’t been easy. The Cross River, N.Y., boy is small for his age and tires easily. In addition to swallowing severalpills a day and baring his arm for shots each week, Luke also struggles with high blood pressure and, at times, dehydration. Despite those challenges, Luke = Re ProGress FiGHtInc PKD—A foundation is leading the way in finding a treatment and cure for PKD, the most common of all life-threatening diseases. genetic will attend prekindergarten this fall and undergo a kidney transplant sometime soon. His dad plans to be the donor. Like Luke, more than 60 percent of PKD patients experience kidney failure and are forced to rely on dialysis or a transplant to live. Approximately one-third of children with Luke’s form of PKD need dialysis or a transplant by their 10th birthday. The Hope Luke’s experience with PKD has been tough. Not just for him, has helped organize an ARPKD Chapter of the PKD Foundation, the only organization in the world dedicated to finding a treatment and a cure for PKD. She also established Luke’s Team, which raised $45,000 for the Walk for PKD. This year, she hopes to top that donation and encourage other families to get involved. Learn More The 2005 Walk for PKD is scheduled for September 17 or 18 in cities across the country. While teams raised more than a million dollars in 2004, this year they’re pushing for 1.5 million. The money goes directly to funding research and raising awareness for PKD and the millions of fami- lies battling the disease every day. Anyone can start or join a Walk for PKD team. And if there’s not a Walk nearby, friends and families can participate in a Virtual Walk or start a walk of their own. For more information and to sign up for the Walk, visit www.pkdcure.org or call (800) PKD-CURE.
