Kidney Foundation fundraiser.

The charges may have been trumped up and the Deputy may have been carrying a pop gun, but the money raised for the Kidney Foundation's Roundup for Research last Tuesday in Osoyoos will go a long way to improve the lives of kidney disease patients.
The Kidney Founda-tion of Canada's Roundup for Research event, complete with Deputies, a Judge and a jail down at Osoyoos Home Hardware, poked some light-hearted fun at the justice system for a good cause.
Deputys arrested several citizens in Oso-yoos, charged them with various offences, marched the perps down Main Street, set bail and threw them in the slammer.
From there, it was up to the prisoners to call friends and associates to raise bail.
The province-wide event saw 25 commu-nities participating, with the goal of raising $365,000.
Michelle Boshard, the Roundup for Research event coordinator, said the event was a success.
Our total was about $7,000. I'd really like to emphasize how wonder-ful Frances and all the staff of Home Hardware are. They did a great job, said Boshard.
The following people helped to raise money for the roundup:rnMayor John Slater, mayoral candidate Michael Ryan, Peter Baier (Shoppers Drug Mart), Lee Sapach (Osoyoos Golf Club), Glenn Mandziuk (Destination Osoyoos), Ken Naylor (Super Valu), Leon Jensen (7-Eleven), Al Dumka (Rattlers Cafe), Tony Batista and Dave (Osoyoos Home Hardware), Art Molenkamp and Dennis Potter (Osoyoos Lake Water Quality Society), Carol Hapke (CIBC), Leslie Anderson (BMO), Theresa Franklin and Sharon Hiller (The Diamond Restaurant), Ross Driver, Colin Lancaster, Mark Paolera and Alex Varga (Osoyoos Fire Department) and Osoyoos Storm players Tyler Seidler, Jeff Taylor, and Travis Duperron.
One woman who helped out at the donation table knows the real benefit research can bring.
Teresa Atkinson is a 20-year kidney patient.
The OK Falls resident has had two kidney transplants.
The first transplant, from a cadaver, didn't take; the second, from Atkinson's sister, lasted five years.
The average lifespan of a donated kidney is ten years, but Atkinson knows other transplant recipients whose dona-ted organs are still serving them after 20 years.
Atkinson now does home hemo-dialysis, hooking up to a dialysis machine eight or nine hours, five nights per week.
This is a new treatment as of April 2005, thanks to research, she said.
I'm really thankful to be doing the home therapy. It really improves my quality of life and also improves my life expectancy.rnAtkinson added that fundraising events such as the Roundup for Research give her hope, and she also wanted to thank Osoyoos Home Hardware for being a fantastic host.rnOver the 20 years I have been a kidney patient, the research has improved my life tremendously.
My message to everyone reading this is, 'do you know your kidney health?' Become informed. Ask your doctor for a simple blood test to find out, Atkinson said.
Managing anemia, diabetes, high blood pressure and quitting smoking are all tips for preventing the progress of kidney disease.