Fresenius Medical Care raises kidney health awareness goals thru' Great Wall run

A 4200-kilometre run of the Great Wall undertaken by Fresenius Medical Care to raise public awareness on good kidney health across Asia-Pacific has been concluded this week.

Extreme adventurer and philanthropist David Grier, and his running companion, Andrew Stuart, with whom the company partnered the run, passed their finishing line in Jiayuguan city on Tuesday.

Starting from Shanhaiguan at the end of March, the pair ran an average of 61 kilometres a day to reach their final destination, the Fresenius said in a Media OutReach-forwarded statement on Thursday.

The run raised a groundswell of social media engagement throughout China and Asia-Pacific, with thousands of people following it and taking on the challenge to become more active themselves.

Mr Harry de Wit, CEO of Fresenius Medical Care Asia-Pacific, and 10 company employees ran the last kilometres of the Great Wall with Grier and Stuart.

Speaking at the official closing ceremony, Mr de Wit thanked the pair, and all those who participated in the corporate social responsibility campaign.

“Today's closing ceremony is not an end; it's a brand-new beginning," he said.

Alan Chen, Executive Vice President, Fresenius Medical Care China, highlighted the ways in which the campaign has successfully put chronic kidney disease on the national health agenda.

"I was very excited to see how the Back to the Wall campaign was able to span across China", he said.

In a video interview just prior to completing the run, David pondered the Great Wall as a metaphor for the obstacles people meet in their lives.

“For every one of us, our lives are littered with walls that block the ultimate dream of how we see our lives unfolding.

“I feel the run of the Great Wall is symbolic to the walls faced by people living with CKD: No matter how treacherous the wall ahead, how deep the craters, and how crumbly the road, don't ever give up on your journey.

“Put out your hand to the friend that is there with you, and travel the journey together. You will get to the end of that wall." 

Fresenius Medical Care is the world's largest provider of products and services for individuals with renal diseases of which around 3.2 million patients worldwide regularly undergo dialysis treatment.