HOUSTON – June 15, 2020 – The Kidney Cancer Association (KCA) is launching the 74K Challenge, a virtual event to raise awareness about kidney cancer and funds for research ahead of World Kidney Cancer Day on June 18th.
Through June 30, the KCA aims to raise $74,000, which represents the nearly 74,000 people in the US estimated to receive a kidney cancer diagnosis in 2020, according to the National Cancer Institute’s Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) Program.
To join the 74K Challenge, participants create a personalized fundraising page that they can use to invite others to support their cause. The challenge is virtual and completely customizable. Participants can select their own activity to complete at their own pace throughout June. Awards for raising $100 or more or recruiting five other people to join the challenge include 74K Challenge t-shirts and water bottles. The participant who raises the most funds will receive a custom YETI cooler.
The 74K Challenge supports kidney cancer research in keeping with the KCA’s mission to be a global community dedicated to serving and empowering patients and caregivers, and leading change through advocacy, research, and education. The KCA will match all funds raised dollar for dollar.
“We truly believe in the power of community, which is why we are excited to launch the 74K Challenge,” said Gretchen E. Vaughan, President and CEO of the KCA. “It is our hope that this challenge will provide a much-needed way for people to have fun, stay active, and connect with one another safely while raising critical funds to support kidney cancer research.”
The 74K Challenge also supports World Kidney Cancer Day on June 18. Spearheaded by the International Kidney Cancer Coalition (IKCC), this year’s theme is: “We need to talk about physical activity”.
Studies show being physically active helps reduce cancer-related fatigue, anxiety, and depression, and improves quality of life and treatment outcomes. While three out of four people with kidney cancer do not get enough physical activity, with half reporting no physical activity, even moderate amounts of movement can reduce the risk of getting kidney cancer by up to 22% and improve treatment outcomes by up to 15% in those diagnosed.
The NCI’s SEER data estimates 73,750 people will be newly diagnosed with kidney and renal pelvis cancer in the US this year while an estimated 14,830 people with this type of cancer will die. Kidney cancer is twice as common in men than in woman and it is the 14th most common cancer worldwide according to the Global Cancer Observatory.
For more details about the 74K Challenge and World Kidney Cancer Day 2020, please visit www.kidneycancer.org.
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About the Kidney Cancer Association
The Kidney Cancer Association is a global community dedicated to serving and empowering patients and caregivers, and leading change through advocacy, research, and education in order to be the universal leader in finding the cure for kidney cancer. Founded in 1990 by Eugene P. Schonfeld and a small group of patients and doctors in Chicago, Illinois, the KCA has grown into an international non-profit organization based in Houston, Texas. The KCA promotes scientific advances through two annual research symposia and a robust grant program, participates in legislative advocacy, and seeks to be a source of education and resources for patients, caregivers, and anyone impacted by kidney cancer.
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