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Some of the proceeds from the fourth annual fundraiser at the Ridgefield Park Knights of Columbus hall will go toward finding a cure for polycystic kidney disease, otherwise known as PKD, said TJ Sullivan.
The rest goes toward raising money for “the inevitable transplant surgery and costly medical bills our family will need to face,” he said.
Theresa LaBarck – or "MomMom" as Sullivan calls her – has lived with PKD for 26 years.
The genetic disease causes cysts to grow inside the kidneys, causing all sorts of damage – including two of every 100 cases of kidney failure each year in the U.S. Although a kidney is the size of a human fist, PKD kidneys can become as large as a football.
The FDA earlier this year approved a new drug that has been shown to slow down the disease’s progression, which left Sullivan feeling “gratified to be able to see some progress.”
Personally, however, time is of the essence, he said.
LaBarck’s kidney function “has recently dropped significantly,” Sullivan said. “She is at 20% kidney function -- officially in ‘renal failure.’
“Because of the way her kidneys are allocated, combined with the progressive nature of PKD…it’s time for our family to start considering dialysis or being tested for a transplant.”
Sullivan asks that attendees wear either 80s- or 90s-era garb for the “Battle of the Decades,” which he said will have live music, food – including dinner, desserts, soda, water, coffee and tea – along with a tricky tray and 50/50 raffle.
It runs from 1-5 p.m. Sunday, Dec., 2 at the KofC hall at 106 Bergen Avenue in Ridgefield Park.
ADMISSION: $25 for adults/ $10 for children.
You can get tickets by donating that amount to www.gofundme.com/pkdbattleofthedecades. Or pay at the door.
ALSO WATCH: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jiCTX1qub9Y
OR VISIT: https://pkdcure.org/
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