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FAIRMOUNT (WTXF) - Thousands gathered at the Philadelphia Museum of Art Sunday, hoping to help raise awareness of a disease that puts one-third of adults at risk in the 2018 Philadelphia Kidney Walk for the National Kidney Foundation.
3,000 people - adults and children, plus family pets gathered at the Art Museum for this year's Kidney Walk, the nation's largest walk to fight kidney disease.
"There's over 30,000,000 people that have kidney disease and many people don't even know they have it, so we are here to raise money for patient support, for research and for education," said Denise Anderson, with National Kidney Foundation.
For Richard Bond, of Harleysville, the walk is personal.
"Every day, somebody's suffering," Bond said.
Bond was one of those people, but says, after a kidney transplant and a lifestyle change, he's living a much healthier life that he never knew was possible.
"I was 325 pounds and now I'm 225. Diet is great and now we are exercising, so I have life and I have energy," Bond explained.
The Kidney Foundation hopes to raise $500,000 at the event, which will help fund programs like Big Ask, Big Give, where patients learn how to ask for the invaluable gift of a new kidney.
"There are many people that are on a very, very long waiting list for a kidney, but people have two kidneys and you can give one away. The program is new and really exciting," Anderson stated.
"This is a family. This is a kidney family. It's a year-long thing. We really appreciate anyone who donates. The hospitals need the funding," Bond said.
Bond says he and his family are forever grateful for the life-changing transplant.
"It changes your life and that's what I'm grateful for," Bond added.