STEPHENVILLE, La. — Deep in lower St. Martin Parish, at the 5th annual Boogie on the Bayou, neighbors were having fun on the water while raising money to find a cure for protein-spilling kidney diseases.
"My brother, he was diagnosed at age 12. By the age of 18, he had kidney failure, and he lost his native kidneys and had to have a transplant. Immediately upon his transplant, his kidneys were attacked again by the disease," said Joshua Roy, a NephCure board member. "He's had three transplants and currently is on dialysis because there is no cure."
But, NephCure is trying to change that.
"NephCure is an organization that's dedicated to research to find a cure for FSGS (focal segmental glomerulosclerosis), Nephrotic Syndrome and other rare kidney diseases," Roy said.
According to Roy, NephCure began in the New York area when a few families came together to try to better understand the diagnoses of rare, protein-spilling kidney diseases their loved ones had received.
After Roy's brother was diagnosed, his dad found the organization looking for some answers of his own. Since then, his family has been involved with the organization and has been joined by other Louisiana residents affected by these diseases.
To learn more about NephCure, visit their website here.
Boogie on the Bayou is an annual fundraiser, put on by NephCure and supported by local businesses and your neighbors, to help fund the search for a cure.
"Prior to today, our little bayou event has raised over $235,000," said Donna Phenald, a community fund-raiser for NephCure that helps put on the event each year.
The $5 cover fee may account for some of the money raised, but the event's main money-makers are the live and silent auctions. Some of the items donated by local businesses and individuals are sold for hundreds of dollars.
The event also features fresh seafood from the Louisiana Seafood Promotion & Marketing Board, live music by Ryan Foret & Foret Tradition and a kids zone with inflatables and snowballs.
"People are just so generous. It really is humbling," Phenald said. "I just can't thank the community enough for what they do."
