Ottawa Stroll
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Thank you for joining us for the 2019 Ottawa Stroll for Liver!
Saturday, June 15, 2019
Thank everyone who participated and joined us for the 13th Ottawa STROLL for LIVER. The event was a great success as a result of your participation and the leadership of our 2019 planning committee.
With your help we raised over $25,600 to support liver research and education and we welcomed over 200 participants. We are so grateful for everyone’s support for this inaugural event.
Did you miss it? Here is a recap of the great event.
Heather Badenoch did an incredible job as our emcee of the event and shared her story of being a living liver donor. To read Heather’s story click here. Debbie Kleiboer gave a powerful speech, offering her lived experience of being diagnosed with Non-Alcoholic Steatohepatitis (NASH) and receiving a liver transplant after her brother offered a portion of his liver to her. To read her story click here.
Mayor Jim Watson honored us with his presence and presented the Canadian Liver Foundation an official proclamation on behalf of the City of Ottawa, recognizing our 50th anniversary as a national charity. DJ Law (Bryan Boswell), a local transplant recipient, entertained the crowd with some great tunes.
The Ottawa Stroll for Liver offered an informative health fair with numerous local health organizations including Trillium Gift of Life, Ottawa Public Health and the Ottawa Hospital. Face painting was sponsored by Bayshore Home Health and we had many activities for children, including a visit from Spider-man. The event ended with a special Tai Chi session led by Dr. Yu Ming.
Dumouchel Meat & Deli provided delicious food for our lunch and Otttawa BBQ provided the cooking equipment.
Despite the rain, many participants completed the stroll, enjoying a scenic Ottawa river view from Britannia Park.
SAVE THE DATE: Our 2020 Ottawa Stroll for Liver will take place on Saturday, June 13th at Britannia Park!
1 in 4 Canadians may be affected by liver disease – Debbie is one of them.
My name is Debbie Kleiboer. in the summer of 2010 I was diagnosed with fatty liver disease, the most common liver disease in Canada, and in a short period of time my life changed completely. Over the next two years my condition deteriorated so much that I needed a transplant. Thankfully my brother David was a match and I received my gift of life on April 18, 2012.
Just two months later, I was ready to give back. I wanted to help others just like me by helping the Canadian Liver Foundation raise funds for liver research. I joined the CLF’s Stroll for Liver in Ottawa and with the support of friends, family and my sister’s co-workers, we raised over $2,000! (not bad for one-week planning!) you can do it too.
I am now looking forward to my 8th Stroll for Liver since my transplant and I’m ready to continue raising funds in support of the millions of Canadians affected by liver disease, please join Stroll for Liver today and step out for liver health!
To join Debbie in support of the million of Canadians affected by liver disease register here.
The Canadian Liver Foundation acknowledges the following organizations for their support of the CLF’s mission of « bringing liver research to life » to benefit the liver health of all Canadians through research, education, patient support and advocacy.
2018 National Sponsor
Exclusive running retail sponsor
Regional Sponsor
2
In-kind sponsors
2018 Stroll highlights
Trisha Nagpal’s family – They raised over $7400! The Nagpal family started the Stroll in 2006 in memory of their daughter and sister, Trisha, who passed away from Wilson’s disease, a rare inherited disorder that causes copper to accumulate in the liver, brain and other vital organs. Daljit greets the Stroll for Liver participants every year and his wife and daughters play a key role in volunteering to make the event the success that it is. Thank you Trisha Nagpal’s family for your ongoing support to fund life-saving liver research.
Kleiboer Team – They raised over $2500! Debbie Kleiboer celebrated her 6th Anniversary as a liver transplant recipient this year thanks to her live donor, her brother David. Debbie’s sister Cindy wrote their family’s journey in supporting Debbie through the experience of receiving a transplant and put it all together in a journal for Debbie. The incredible gift her brother shared and the ups and downs of navigating the healthcare system are captured in the journal and Debbie shares it to help inform others.
Team Faith – They raised over $2300! Faith Arial was born without bile ducts so her bile damaged her liver. At 5 months old she received a liver transplant, thanks to her mother and liver donor, Jennifer O’Byrne. They have been incredible supporters for the CLF along with Faith’s Grandfather, Gary O’Byrne.
We would like to extend a heart-felt thank you to everyone who donated and participated in this year’s Stroll. It was the goal of CLF’s Eastern Ontario Volunteer Planning Committee to inform, entertain, and provide a liver-healthy forum for our members and their families, all while raising much needed funds for lifesaving liver research and education programs.
It was back in February 1988, when Robert found himself struggling to walk home from school. After undergoing a multitude of tests, he was diagnosed with autoimmune hepatitis, a chronic disease in which the body’s immune system attacks the liver and causes damage.
With medication, Robert was able to manage his health for many years. In the back of his mind, Robert knew that one day his liver would begin to fail. That day came in 2009 and when his condition began to worsen, Robert was added to the liver transplant list.
With the help of the Canadian Liver Foundation, Robert was able to connect with other liver transplant recipients who shared their personal stories and experiences with him. Robert received a liver transplant in early 2010. His surgery was a great success and he was declared their healthiest patient only 33 days after his surgery. He thanks his surgeon and the transplant team and is extremely grateful to his anonymous donor and the donor family for their gift of organ donation.
Today, Robert is feeling great; his energy is back. He joined his local Running Room walking group and participated in their ‘learn-to-run’ training program. Robert has gone on to run in local races and become an instructor for the ‘learn-to-run’ program.
Robert has been an active volunteer for the Canadian Liver Foundation in Eastern Ontario for the past 8 years, supporting our fundraising efforts and assisting with major events. Robert provides peer support to future liver transplant recipients, offering guidance, comfort and confidence.