On PKD Awareness Day, bipartisan legislation and Walk for PKD events unite advocacy, awareness and research funding

KANSAS CITY, Mo., Sept. 4, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — The PKD Foundation is marking PKD Awareness Day by turning awareness into action and urging the public to support the recently-introduced bipartisan PKD Cures Act and participate in Walk for PKD events nationwide this September and October to help accelerate progress toward better treatments and a cure.

Observed every Sept. 4, PKD Awareness Day raises understanding of polycystic kidney disease (PKD) and amplifies the voices of the 500,000 people in the U.S. living with the disease. PKD is a genetic disorder in which fluid-filled cysts develop in the kidneys and can lead to kidney failure.

The PKD Cures Act, introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives in June by Reps. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.), Carol Miller (R-W.Va.), Emanuel Cleaver (D-Mo.) and Don Bacon (R-Neb.), is the first federal legislation devoted exclusively to PKD research. If enacted, it would expand research at the National Institutes of Health, speed clinical trials and the development of new therapies, convene patients and experts to set research priorities, and establish a long-term federal research roadmap. At a time when PKD research is advancing at an unprecedented pace, the legislation would help ensure promising discoveries move from the laboratory to patients faster.

“A cure is our finish line, and this PKD Awareness Day, we’re asking the nation to move toward it together,” said Susan Bushnell, president and CEO of the PKD Foundation. “We’re in an extraordinary moment for PKD research, but scientific progress requires investment, urgency, and action. The PKD Cures Act would give federal research the additional resources and coordination needed to accelerate discovery, while every person who participates in the Walk for PKD participant helps strengthen our ability to advance our mission and support the PKD community. We have an opportunity to change the trajectory of this disease.”

The Walk for PKD is the nation’s largest PKD fundraising and awareness event, drawing patients, caregivers, physicians and researchers. Since 2000, it has raised more than $36 million to support critical research and improve the lives of people affected by the disease. More than 25 in-person events are scheduled nationwide from Sept. 12 through Oct. 25.

To find a local event or register for Walk for PKD—Your Way, visit https://walkforpkd.org/.

About the PKD Foundation

Since 1982, the PKD Foundation has been dedicated to improving the lives of people impacted by polycystic kidney disease (PKD). The Foundation drives research to find treatments and a cure while providing education, advocacy, and direct support to communities nationwide. It is the largest private funder of PKD research in the U.S.

PKD is a chronic, genetic disorder marked by the uncontrolled growth of cysts in the kidneys and other organs, often leading to kidney failure. An estimated 500,000 people in the U.S. have PKD. There is currently no cure and only one approved treatment to slow disease progression.

The PKD Foundation is the only U.S. organization solely focused on PKD. Learn more at pkdcure.org. 

MEDIA CONTACT:
Caitlin Lasky
816.268.8482
caitlinl@pkdcure.org

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SOURCE PKD Foundation