Thank you for taking the time to read about why I am running the B.A.A. 10K! 

As the Dialysis Social Worker at Brigham and Women’s Hospital (BWH), it is my responsibility to support patients with chronic kidney disease. Unless they are successfully transplanted, patients with renal failure typically require outpatient hemodialysis treatments 3x a week for the rest of their lives just to stay alive because their own bodies are unable to remove waste and excess fluid from their blood. Unfortunately, many of these patients of mine are not only chronically ill, but also chronically without income (unhoused/undocumented, etc.) and therefore face many additional barriers to receiving adequate healthcare. For example, more often than not, my patients who are without income are unable to afford transportation costs to/from their outpatient hemodialysis treatments. This ultimately puts their lives at risk. For this reason, I am putting my fundraising efforts towards BWH's Patients and Families Assistance Fund (PAF). 

Developed by the Care Continuum department which I fall under as a Social Worker, PAF was founded with the purpose of facilitating medical care by providing monetary support to patients experiencing financial hardship. What this means is that the amount our team fundraises will go towards items such as MBTA gifts cards, which will help to cover my patients' transportation costs to/from their outpatient dialysis treatments. In short, any amount you choose to contribute to our team's fundraising goal can literally save a life! That being said, I really hope you will consider donating to our cause as it will make a world of a difference for these patients. Please let me know if you have any questions, and thank you in advance for your consideration! God bless :)