Last September 29th, the Italian Kidney Foundation (FIR) dedicated an entire day to the knowledge, prevention and early treatment/detection of CKD. The event took place in the main square of Leonessa, a small medieval mountain village in central Italy. Professor Alessandro Balducci, President-elect 2024-26 of the International Federation of Kidney Foundations – World Kidney Alliance (IFKF-WKA), also attended the event.
The participants – about 200 people, mostly from the nearby Italian regions of Lazio, Marche, Umbria and Abruzzo – met in Piazza 7 Aprile at 10 am, awaiting the arrival of the group that reached Leonessa from Rome through an awareness motorcycle race.
The motorcycle group was previously warmly welcomed at the San Camillo De Lellis Hospital in Rieti, before continuing the journey along the panoramic road of Monte Terminillo.
During the morning people took part in a very interesting cultural visit to the historic center and joined the free nephrological screening: Nephrologists and nurses carried out urine tests and blood pressure measurement, giving a referral to a Nephrologist to patients who tested positive.
In the square it was also possible to freely access the Health Village, a space that hosted various information points dedicated to:
- Lifestyles to prevent CKD and hypertension;
- Treatment of CKD;
- Correct nutrition;
- Importance of organ donation for kidney transplantation.
Furthermore, numerous local and nephrology personalities publicly participated in the debate, all together with the goal of raising awareness about kidney disease:
- Professor Massimo Morosetti, President of the Italian Kidney Foundation;
- Gianluca Gizzi, Mayor of Leonessa;
- Simone Calvarese, Provincial Friar of the Capuchin Friars;
- Dr. Fiorella Faraglia, Nephrology and Dialysis Unit of San Camillo de Lellis Hospital in Rieti;
- Vito Paciucci, Vice President of the Province of Rieti;
- Professor Giuseppe Maria Ettorre, Director of the A. O. San Camillo-Forlanini Complex General Surgery and Transplant Structure in Rome;
- Roberto Costanzi, President of the Kidney Patients Association;
- Giuseppe Zelli, Provincial vicar vice president of AVIS;
- Professor Paolo Menè, Director of the post graduate school in Nephrology, La Sapienza University of Rome;
- Francesca Milito, General Director of ASL Rome 3;
- Hon. Paolo Trancassini, Quaestor of the Chamber of Deputies.
In the second half of the event the participants gathered for a convivial lunch based on typical local products, such as the renowned Leonessa potato, a central element of the traditional cuisine of the area.
In the afternoon, the participants visited the complex of the Church of San Francesco with its famous nativity scene, its Cloister and the lower crypt decorated with suggestive frescoes.
Later, people visited the Convent of the Capuchin Friars, where the participants had the opportunity to live an experience of peace and reflection. The visit was also enriched by small surprises, including the donkeys, which added a further touch of uniqueness to the day.
This event was able to combine health prevention, local culture and valorization of the territory, demonstrating how it is possible to combine physical well-being and, naturally, renal well-being, with cultural enrichment and conviviality.
