Malaysians Swayed And Twirled All The Way!

MALAYSIANS SWAYED AND TWIRLED ALL THE WAY!

~ Hundreds of Malaysians participated in the charity dance-athon in conjunction with World Kidney Day~

Petaling Jaya, 17 March – In conjunction with World Kidney Day, more than 500 Malaysians which included the general public, kidney patients and their family members participated in the Dance Marathon at 1Utama Shopping Centre yesterday. The event was jointly organized by the National Kidney Foundation of Malaysia (NKF) and Celebrity Fitness Malaysia.

The day-long event saw participants coming together to pledge their support and reiterate the importance of caring for their kidneys which is in line with this year’s theme – “Kidney’s Age, Just like You”.

The event was graced by guest of honor, Yang Berhormat P. Kamalanathan, Deputy Minister of Education who officiated the Charity Dance-athon before proceeding to visit the booths with NKF’s representatives.

“The Ministry of Education has always advocated a healthy lifestyle among school children and young adults in colleges all this while. I am pleased to see NKF working together with schools and colleges to promote a healthy lifestyle among the youngsters. I am sure with your continuous educational programmes with nephrologists, medical officers and fitness centre, will definitely make Malaysia a healthier and fitter nation,” said Yang Berhormat P. Kamalanathan, Deputy Minister of Education.

When asked about the statistics of kidney failure cases in Malaysia, the Vice Chairman of NKF, Dr Thiruventhiran said “Indeed, the number of kidney failure cases has been increasing at an alarming rate with over 5,000 Malaysians being diagnosed every year. Like any other organs in our body, it is vital for us to take good care of our kidneys. This involves good diet and exercise as well as sufficient amount of sleep. The rising statistics of kidney failure further affirms the urgent need to increase awareness and educate the public on ways to protect their kidneys”.

He added “We are pleased to have collaborated with Celebrity Fitness Malaysia to organize this Charity Dance-athon. This is a fun and effective way to bring people together and at the same time educate them about the risk factors of chronic kidney disease. We hope that more and more people will understand the importance of early detection and to aid in the prevention of this disease.”

Members of the public gathered at the event venue as early as 7am to participate in the three hour dance marathon. Led by Celebrity Fitness Malaysia dance instructors, participants were transported from exotic African expeditions to sultry Latin fiesta through Kukuwa African Dance, Zumba, Les Mills Sh’bam and also Dance N’ Attitude^TM (DNA), one of the signature programmes that were choreographed by Celebrity Fitness.

From the event, RM15, 000 was raised to assist the underprivileged kidney failure patients under the care of NKF.

“We are indeed blessed with a variety of good food here in Malaysia. However, this has also led us to be known as “fattest” country in South-East Asia with its obesity rate on the rise. Many people have taken exercise for granted and this is why we have taken up the role of advocating about about healthy living. At Celebrity Fitness Malaysia, we believe that health is an asset that everyone should be able to enjoy. Hence, we are excited to work with National Kidney Foundation to educate and inspire the Malaysian public not to neglect their health,” said Kris Malhotra, Country Group Fitness Manager of Celebrity Fitness Malaysia.

Participants at the event also enjoyed activities like family colouring contest, cooking demonstration and participated in a Health and Hygiene Talk by Southern Lion Sdn Bhd.

For more information on National Kidney Foundation (NKF), please visit http://www.nkf.org.my or call 03-7954 9048.