Explore the heart of the Kidney March

What inspires someone to walk 100 kilometres in three days? 

For more than 15 years, the Kidney March has brought together thousands of participants, each committing to raise a minimum of $2,200 in support of  The Kidney Foundation of Canada.  

But the event is more than a fundraiser, it’s a deeply personal and transformative experience. And a University of Calgary initiative is helping share those stories. 

For many, the motivation to take part in the event is personal: a life-altering diagnosis, a loved one affected by kidney disease or a desire to support a community that often goes unseen. Kidney conditions are frequently invisible to the public eye, yet their impact can be profound. 

Digital storytelling video project captures emotional journeys  

To explore what makes the Kidney March so special, Dr. Mike Lang, MSc’15, PhD’21, a digital storytelling expert and adjunct professor in the Faculty of Nursing, is teaming up with The Kidney Foundation of Canada and UCalgary’s Health Systems Transformation Initiative hub (also known as the HIVE). 

Together, they’re developing a digital storytelling research project, Marching Through Stories, to uncover the “secret sauce” behind the the lasting impact of the Kidney March.

Dr. Catherine Laing, PhD, dean of the Faculty of Nursing, is the principal investigator for the study. Danielle Fox, a PhD candidate in nursing, co-facilitated the workshops with Mike Lang. 

Lang guides marchers by helping them find meaningful moments in their experiences and then teaches creative screenwriting principles and video editing techniques that can help them tell their story. He says the process can be emotionally intense, and not all participants choose to continue once they begin. 

“Digital storytelling gives people a sense of agency,” says Lang. “They can’t choose what happened to them, but they can choose how they tell the story.” 

There’s something powerful about giving marchers the opportunity to tell their own stories, says HIVE manager Suzanna Crawford, BSc’11, BN’13, MN’20. 

“Stories elicit emotion — and, when you connect with someone emotionally, something shifts inside you,” says Crawford.  

“Digital storytelling brings forward the humanness that’s often missing in health care.” 

2025 march a summer-long effort 

This year’s Kidney March followed a different format from previous events. In past years, participants walked the full 100 km together over three days, camping overnight for two nights. 

But this year, marchers were asked to complete the first 85 km on their own, any time between June 1 and Sept. 6.  

The final 15 kilometres will be walked together on Sept. 7 at the Millarville Racetrack southwest of Calgary, all in support of raising funds for programs and support services.   

Making a difference 

What compels someone to take on such a physically and emotionally demanding journey? 

“Marchers know they're making a difference, but the community connection, the community that they become part of — we call it our Kidney March family,” says Joyce Van Deurzen, BEd’86, executive director of The Kidney Foundation of Canada (Southern Alberta). 

Van Deurzen says the Foundation became interested in the emphasis on innovation and community collaboration with the HIVE and Faculty of Nursing. 

“We believe in the power of partnership and collaboration, and nothing happens without that in this world,” says Van Deurzen. 

Watch all the digital stories here. 

Evan's Story "Lessons From My Dad"