Maui resident Kats Anderson is a member of the Hawaii Organ Transplant (HOT) Support Group.

KAHULUI – Jimmy Mac and the Kool Kats will kick off the festivities for the ninth annual Da Kidney Da Kine Day on Saturday, April 26, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Queen Ka’ahumanu Center.

Genentech is the presenting sponsor for the event, which is organized by the Maui Office of the National Kidney Foundation of Hawaii (NKF).

Lahaina’s own Maui Jam Band will play, and Deejay Ron will host the very popular keiki Kendama toy presentation. All are welcome to demonstrate their Kendama toy skills and enjoy the keiki corner.

Maui’s Dr. Elly Huang from Kaiser Permanente will host a presentation on diabetic podiatry. Free kidney disease screenings will be provided to the community.

NKF-Hawaii’s staff and medical volunteers will be present from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the event to provide screenings for those over 18. The screening will detect signs of early kidney disease, high blood pressure and high blood sugar. All participants going through the screening will receive their personalized results and have a one-on-one consultation with a medical professional.

WE, a health hui, will be providing access to the Project Vision Hawaii Van, which will be parked in front of Ruby’s for free vision and hearing screenings. Several other groups will be available near center stage for additional information and screenings.

Da Kidney Da Kine Day is important to create public awareness about the silent and rapidly escalating chronic kidney disease (CKD) epidemic that currently afflicts one in seven Maui residents, and to encourage Maui residents to attend the event and get their free early kidney disease screening in an effort to help them avoid kidney failure.

The event will also include a unique exhibit to educate the community about organ donation and transplantation, which includes talking story with living kidney donors and organ transplant recipients who have either donated or received the “Gift of Life” from a stranger, family member or friend.

According to Jill Holley, the National Kidney Foundation’s Maui Branch manager, CKD is called a “silent disease,” because most people that have it don’t know it until it’s too late, and their kidneys are already failing.

“In fact,” Holley added, “Hawaii leads the country in chronic kidney disease with a rate of 30 percent higher than the national average. On Maui and throughout Hawaii, CKD is widely undetected and under-diagnosed. The leading causes of kidney disease are high blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease and a family history of kidney disease. The groups most at-risk in Hawaii include Native Hawaiians, Filipinos and Japanese.

“The great news is that with early detection, education, medication and lifestyle changes, CKD is treatable. With early intervention, patients have a chance to reverse or control CKD in the early stages, and to avoid or delay the progression of kidney disease to end-stage kidney failure and the need for dialysis treatments or a kidney transplant to survive.”

Volunteer groups for the Da Kidney Da Kine Day include the Zone of Maui Lions Clubs, Maui High School’s Health Occupations Students of America, Alpha Delta Kappa members and the University of Hawaii Maui College Nursing Program.

For more information, call the NKF Maui Office at 986-1900.