Hi all :) Thank you for taking the time to read about why we are running the B.A.A. 10K with Brigham and Women’s Hospital (BWH)! 

As you may know, Yan Chi (team captain) is the Dialysis Social Worker at BWH. What this means is that she is responsible for supporting patients with chronic kidney disease. In case you did not know- Unless they are successfully transplanted, patients with renal failure typically require outpatient dialysis treatments 3x a week for the rest of their lives to stay alive because their own bodies are unable to remove waste and excess fluid from their blood. Unfortunately, many of Yan Chi's patients are not only chronically ill, but also chronically unhoused and therefore face many additional barriers to receiving adequate healthcare. For example, housing insecurity often means these patients are without income and unable to afford transportation costs to/from their outpatient dialysis treatments. This ultimately puts their lives at risk. That being said, we are putting our 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. So, any amount our team fundraises will go towards items such as MBTA gifts cards, which will help to cover these 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! For this reason, we really hope you will consider donating to our cause as it will make a world of a difference for these patients. Click into each team member's profile to see why they decided to join and to support financially! Thank you again for your time!