‘Kick Out’ Kidney Disease swim set for Kincaid
While Farragut resident Kincaid Eaker’s need for a kidney has become national and international news, local friends and members of the community are continuing to raise funds to help him with what will be immense medical expenses as soon as that donor is found.
Corey Olson, Kincaid’s coach for both the Farragut Middle School swim team and the Village Green community swim team, organized a “Kicking Out Kidney Disease for Kincaid” swim-a-thon, to be held from 7 to 9 p.m., Tuesday, Dec. 17, at the University of Tennessee Allan Jones Aquatic Center.
“We had a fundraiser at Blaze Pizza last month for Kincaid, and he got a percentage of the sales from that day, but 100 percent of the money raised from the swim-a-thon will go to Kincaid and his family,” Olson said. “People can make flat donations, or they can sponsor the swimmers on a per lap basis.”
Swimmers from both the FMS and Farragut High School swim teams will take part, as Kincaid’s big sister, Olivia Eaker, is a member of the latter.
Kincaid was born with Polycystic Kidney Disease, which is genetic and incurable — but it has been managed up to this point with medication.
However, earlier this year, he and his family discovered his kidney function has decreased to 14 percent, and the push to find a donor has increased exponentially.
His mother, who had lost two babies previously to the same disease, had planned to be Kincaid’s donor, but she was killed by her husband nearly three years ago.
Her parents, Elaine and Sam Touton of Farragut, have been raising Kincaid and Olivia since.
Olson said she has known the family for three years through swimming, which both Kincaid and Olivia readily embraced.
His story has captured media attention across the country; a swim family produced a You Tube video about him; and Elaine Touton said a producer shared it in Germany, Austria and Switzerland just last week.
A Go Fund Me account was established by a family friend earlier this year, and has raised more than $20,000 through a variety of donations and fund-raisers.
Prospective donors can go through Emory University, www.emory.donorscreen.org as Kincaid has been monitored by Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta at Egleston throughout his life.
For more information or to donate to the swim-a-thon, contact Olson at snyder.corey.j@gmail.com.
