DURBAN – In an attempt to raise vital awareness about organ donation and the funds raised for the Organ Donor Foundation (ODF), the ODF will be holding the massive Mega Walk on Sunday August 14, 2016, starting at 9am (check in time is at 7am) from the Sundeck of the Suncoast Casino and Entertainment world, and ends 5kms later after a loop around the promenade. The main aim of the walk is to highlight the need for more organ donors, specifically in the KwaZulu Natal area, especially since less than 8 percent of people from KZN were registered as organ donors, yet over 4300 South Africans, adults and children, are awaiting an organ and cornea transplant. Less than 600 transplants are performed each year and many adults and children die waiting for a life-saving transplant. One person can save seven lives when they become an organ donor. This includes the use of 1 heart, 2 lungs, 2 kidneys, 1 liver and 1 pancreas. One donor can also improve the quality of life of up to 50 more people by donating their tissues such as their skin, bone, heart valves and corneas.
For this reason, the ODF has taken the initiative to spread the word and get the community geared up to join the fight to save lives in this way, with the mega walk. Through this walk, the ODF, together with its partners, hopes to encourage a sense of camaraderie among community members and encourages them to live a healthy lifestyle through the benefits of walking.
Entry fee for adults is R90 and for children it is R60, but if participants register and pay online, they receive a R10 discount per entry. The ODF promises that it will be a day filled with free giveaways, spot prizes and fun for the children. The first 1000 people on the day will receive a free t-shirt and goodie bag. There is also an exciting school’s challenge where a R10000 cash prize can be won for the school with the most entries. Enter for the walk at www.odf.org.za
