Free Community Cookout and Health and Wellness Fair July 25

EVERGREEN, Ala. - July 15, 2015 - PRLog -- Talking about health concerns is not an easy thing for many people to do. However, invite a person to a free cookout, put a hotdog in their hand and chat about life. Slowly, the details surrounding their disease become a part of the conversation.

The hope is that conversation will lead to awareness and better health choices.

The community is invited to the 2015 Annual Community Health and Wellness Fair July 25from noon to 5pm at the football stadium parking lot (South Main Street, Evergreen, AL) for free food, live music, fellowship, fun and health conversations.

“The cookout idea came about because my fellow dialysis patients at the clinic were saying they wished others would talk about their kidney disease,’” said Victor Calhoun, organizer of the free event. “A lot of people are ashamed to tell others about the illnesses they have. If we can eat together and talk about illness, people will listen and learn from each other.”

Learning is what the community gathering is all about. Unfortunately, Victor learned the hard way how devastating it can be to ignore the progression of kidney disease.

“I found out I was diabetic in 1996, but I didn’t do anything about it,” stated Victor. In 2009, Victor suffered a heart attack. In 2014, a spider bite to his already compromised immune system resulted in a visit to the emergency room that led to multiple surgeries and a 3 month hospital stay where he died twice on the operating table, The long road to recovery left then 51-year- old Victor feeling depressed.

“After 14 surgeries I felt like a human stick pin. I had lost over 100 pounds in three to four months and I didn’t know if I wanted to live,” claimed Victor. “But then, God spoke to me and said ‘I’m not done with you yet. I’m going to put people in your life for a reason.’”

In September of 2014, Victor left the hospital with his wife who has committed to helping with his health care needs along with family and his Pastor Bishop Andre Hunter of Mt Zion Apostolic Assembly of Evergreen. In October 2014, he began dialysis at DCI Evergreen.

“When I first started hemodialysis at DCI Evergreen, Gail, Shay, Kelly and Cindy [DCI employees] sat me down and told me that all would be okay. I really needed to hear that. They gave me back my courage.” Today, Victor receives hemodialysis treatments on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays for four hours each treatment. “When I leave my home and go to DCI, it’s like I’m going to see my sisters.”

Having experienced chronic kidney disease that led to kidney failure, Victor is on a mission to educate people in his community about kidney disease. “My advice is this: Listen to what the doctors tell you. Take the necessary tests to find out what is going on with your body. Trust the doctor.”

More information about kidney disease will be available at the cookout on July 25. Members of the community are encouraged to speak openly about health concerns. For more information about the event, call 251-253-7363.

The event is being made possible by generous donations from the city of Evergreen, Snowden Sausage Company, Coca-Cola, Pic n Sav, Food Depot, Dialysis Clinic, Inc. (DCI), Umoja Entertainment Productions, God First Network and the local Emergency Management Systems along with a host of other local restaurants and businesses in the community.