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Rosemary Ainley

Red Socks Challenge 2026

Help me reach my goal of $500

My Activity Tracking

85
kms

My target 60 kms

My Red Socks Challenge for Kidney Health

People on dialysis spend around 60 hours every month connected to a machine.

This October, I have committed to the Red Socks Challenge to stand with Australians living with kidney disease.  

I will be taking on 60km in October to honour the hours my sister Niki spends on dialysis by raising awareness and helping fund better care.

I have impaired function in my left foot, but I believe I can reach my target of walking 60km in October for this terrific cause. I'll do this through walking (with or without my walker), riding my exercise bike or using a treadmill.

Please donate to support a better future for Niki and others like her with kidney disease.

Please Help Me
Reach My Goal

Raised

$897

My Goal

$500

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My Achievements

Made a self donation First donation received Halfway to fundraising target Hit fundraising target Shared on social media Created a team Half way to KMs Reached KMs Goal Logged first fitness activity Created a Blog Post Fundraising Milestone Reward #1 Fundraising Milestone Reward #2 Fundraising Milestone Reward #3 Fundraising Milestone Reward #4 Fundraising Milestone Reward #5

My Updates

Red Socks Challenge - Day 31

Saturday 31st Oct
I did it!
I completed the Kidney Health Australia Red Socks Challenge to raise funds to support people on dialysis.

I walked or rode my exercise bike at least 2km every day in October and reached 85km for the month.

I raised over $800. Together, Team Niki raised over $3,000!

We want to send a huge thank you to all those who donated to our team.

Red Socks Challenge - Day 30

Friday 30th Oct
Wow. Only one more day until the end of this fundraising challenge. I clocked up 3km on my exercise bike today, bringing me to 83km for the month.

For people with kidney failure, dialysis doesn't stop when this challenge finishes. It keeps going. 5 hours per session. 3 days per week. Around 60 hours of dialysis each and every month for years. 

If you're reading this and haven't donated to Team Niki's Kidney Health Australia Red Socks Challenge, please consider doing so and following my link below. Thank you.

Red Socks Challenge - Day 29

Thursday 29th Oct
Another 2km walked today brings me to 80km for the month. 3 more days until the end of this fundraising challenge. Woo hoo!

Red Socks Challenge - Day 28

Wednesday 28th Oct
It's been tempting to skip my daily walks/rides now that I have already passed my distance target, but I know I need to keep going to improve my mobility.

I walked 2km today without my walker. A bit more of a challenge, but I got there.

Red Socks Challenge - Day 27

Tuesday 27th Oct
Another 3km on the exercise bike, as I was pushed for time today. I received these fundraising rewards today as well. Thank you Kidney Health Australia.

Red Socks Challenge - Day 26

Monday 26th Oct
 An easy 2km on the exercise bike today takes me to 73km for the month. Only a handful of days to go.

Red Socks Challenge - Day 25

Sunday 25th Oct
My suburb has received 23.4 mm of rain since 9am today. Not the best day to go for a walk while trying to keep myself and my 4-wheeled walker dry. I did 3km on my exercise bike, though. I'm now at 70km for the month.

Red Socks Challenge - Day 24

Saturday 24th Oct
Kermit (my walker) and I did another 2km walk today, bringing us to 67km for October.

Still doing our bit to raise awareness of the burden of dialysis and to raise funds for Kidney Health Australia.

Red Socks Challenge - Day 23

Friday 23rd Oct
It's still around 30 degrees in Melbourne at 6pm today, so I did 4km on my exercise bike instead of 2km of walking. That brings me to 65km for October, and I'm not finished with this challenge yet!

Find out what the challenge is all about and how you can help by following my link below.

Red Socks Challenge - Day 22

Thursday 22nd Oct
Whoo hoo!

I passed my 60km target for October today! It was a hot day, so I did a 1km walk in the morning and 3km on my exercise bike in the afternoon. That brings me to 61km, but I'm not going to stop there. The challenge runs for over 30 days, so I'll keep walking or riding to see it through to the end.


Red Socks Challenge - Day 21

Wednesday 21st Oct
I did 3km on my exercise bike today, which brings me even closer to my 60km target for October. 

Thank you to everyone who has donated in support of Team Niki and Kidney Health Australia. 

Red Socks Challenge - Day 20

Tuesday 20th Oct
The day is warming up in Melbourne, so I decided to do my 2km fundraising walk in the morning. Only 6km to go to reach my 60km target for October.

Please follow my link below to learn how and why I’m raising money for Kidney Health Australia.

Red Socks Challenge - Day 19

Monday 19th Oct
I did 3km on my exercise bike today, so I've now done 52km towards my goal. Only 8km to go.

Thanks to everyone who helped me reach my fundraising goal today. Let's see if we can keep it going and raise even more for Kidney Health Australia.

Red Socks Challenge - Day 18

Sunday 18th Oct
Today, I managed to walk 3km, so I’m on the home stretch to meet my 60km target this month.

I’m doing this to raise money for Kidney Health Australia in honour of my sister, Niki, and others like her who spend 60 hours a month on dialysis.

Red Socks Challenge - Day 17

Saturday 17th Oct
I walked another 2.1km today, so I've now done 46km toward my 60km target in 30 days. It feels good to be past the halfway mark.

I'm doing this fundraising challenge to help raise awareness of the 60 hours a month people like my sister, Niki, spend on dialysis each month.

For around the first six months of her treatment, Niki's dialysis was administered via a permacath in her upper chest. She couldn't get it wet, so she had to cover it with plastic before each shower. Her dialysis is now administered through a fistula in her arm.


Red Socks Challenge - Day 16

Friday 16th Oct
It’s day 16 of my 30-day fundraising challenge and I’ve done 42km of my 60km target. I’m pretty happy with that. 😀

Follow my link below to find out why I’m doing this challenge, and how you can support me.

Red Socks Challenge - Day 15

Thursday 15th Oct
Woo hoo! We’re half way through the Red Socks Challenge to move 60km over 30 days in October. 

Our aim is to raise awareness of 60 hours each month that people with kidney failure spend on dialysis, and funds to support the work of Kidney Health Australia.

Red Socks Challenge - Day 14

Wednesday 14th Oct
I had. commitments this afternoon, so I didn’t go for a walk. Instead, I jumped on my exercise bike in front of the TV at night and rode 4km. It would have been so easy to skip a day, but I didn’t want to break my streak.

Red Socks Challenge - Day 13

Tuesday 13th Oct
I had a choir gig at Collingwood Town Hall today, and parked nearby. I took the opportunity to walk around the lovely neighbouring streets before and after the gig, with a total of 2.6km. This is all to raise awareness and funds for Kidney Health Australia. Follow the link below to learn more.

Red Socks Challenge - Day 12

Monday 12th Oct
I proudly wore my red Kidney Health Australia socks today, including at my yoga class, where I showed them off. I did my 2.2km walk in the evening.

Red Socks Challenge - Day 11

Sunday 11th Oct
I clocked up a 2.2km walk today. I know I’m ahead of schedule, so it’s very tempting to skip a day or get complacent Niki doesn’t have that luxury.

This is Niki’s fistula. A surgically created connection between an artery and vein in her arm. It allows high-flow blood access for her dialysis. 

She is on a waiting list for a kidney transplant, preferably from a healthy living donor. Contact me if you’d like to learn more.

Red Socks Challenge - Day 10

Saturday 10th Oct
Woo hoo!

It’s around a third of the way into October and I’ve done 29km out of my target of 60km.

60km represents the 60 hours a month that people, including my sister Niki, spend on dialysis.

Today, I did 3km on my exercise bike (after hand washing two cars).

Red Socks Challenge - Day 9

Friday 9th Oct
I did a 2km walk and a 30-minute workout with my physio today. Normally, I wouldn't go for a walk on a physio day, but I'm determined to see this 30-day challenge through. I'm doing this challenge along with my sisters, Niki and Jenni as part of Team Niki. Niki spends around 60 hours a month hooked up to a dialysis machine, as her kidneys don't work any more. Please help us raise money for Kidney Health Australia this month, so they can continue to provide support and education for thousands of Australians like Niki. Follow my link below for details. Thanks.

Red Socks Challenge - Day 8

Thursday 8th Oct
I'd been on my feet a fair bit today, so I decided to do today's challenge on my exercise bike.

I did 3km in 19 minutes. Every bit helps get me closer to my 60km goal for October.

I'm doing this fundraiser as my sister, Niki, spends 60 hours a month hooked up to a dialysis machine. We want to help Kidney Health Australia raise funds to support people like Niki through their long and difficult journey. 

Follow the link below to learn how you can help us reach our team's goals. Thank you.

Red Socks Challenge - Day 7

Wednesday 7th Oct
I clocked up another 2km walk today. That means I'm over a third of the way to my 60km total for October, and it's not even a third of the way through the month yet. Today's photo shows the site of Niki's permacath in her chest. For the first few months of dialysis, Niki had a flexible plastic catheter sticking out of her chest, which was used as her dialysis access point. She couldn't get it wet, so she had to cover her chest with cling wrap before showering. Her dialysis is now done through her arm. I'll show you that another day. Please consider donating to our fundraising team to help us raise funds for Kidney Health Australia. Learn more by following the link below. Thank you.

Red Socks Challenge - Day 6

Tuesday 6th Oct
Meet my walker, Kermit. He is green so, of course, I named him after Kermit the Frog. Kermit likes being out in the sunshine. He enables me to walk further, and with more stability, than I can without him. Today, we walked just over 2km in 38 minutes. Visit my fundraising page to learn how you can donate to Kidney Health Australia and support people like my sister, Niki, who spend around 60 hours a month hooked to a dialysis machine.

Red Socks Challenge - Day 5

Monday 5th Oct
Today I used my walker to walk around local streets in the early evening. I loved that it was still sunny and mild then. I learned from yesterday's mistake and used the GPS distance measurement in my tracking app instead of relying on its step-to-kilometre conversion. :)

Red Socks Challeng - Day 4

Sunday 4th Oct
I love daylight savings. I had a lovely walk in the late afternoon sunshine. I walked further than I intended to, though.

I'm still getting used to the fitness tracker app on my phone. As I was walking, I kept checking my step count, which also showed my distance (so I thought). That must have been a calculated distance based on my steps. I kept going until that screen showed just over 2km.

When I eventually go home, I discovered my actual distance was 3.27km. No wonder it took longer. Glad I used my walker!

Red Socks Challenge - Day 3

Saturday 3rd Oct
Windswept and walker-free. Woo hoo!

Today I managed a 2.18km walk around local streets without my walker. That's more than I've done in months, and my wonky foot held up fairly well.

I was near home when I got to around 1.5 km and was ready to stop, but I figured Niki can't stop dialysis partway through, so I could stretch just beyond my comfort zone to reach my 2km daily target.

Day 2

Friday 2nd Oct
Today, I did 30 minutes of physiotherapy, walked the full length of The Glen shopping centre and back (around 800 metres), and did additional incidental walking at another shopping centre and around the house. I don't have a smartwatch yet, so I put that down as 2km of walking for my fundraising activity today. It was probably more than that.

Day 1

Thursday 1st Oct
It’s poured with rain all day in Melbourne today, so I jumped on my exercise bike and rode 6.25km in 38 minutes.

Thank you to my Sponsors

$106.75

Rosemary Ainley

$106.75

David Kennedy

All the best with your fundraising. Annette

$100

The Ali Family

Sending all our love and support to Niki. ❤️ We’re so proud to support the Larsen girls and this wonderful cause. Love, the Ali family ❤️

$80

Helen Johnson

We could do a training walk this Saturday, Rosemary. 😁

$77.36

Michelle Clewett

Amazing effort Rosemary!

$77.36

Nicole Black

sorry i am late to the party congratulations on your achievement

$55

Gino Feola

$50

Paula Lipton

$50

Nicole L

$35.78

Sharon Clifford

Well done for taking on this challenge for such a good cause Rosemary.

$25

Robyn Rea

Best wishes to Niki, and to you too Rosie xxx

$25

Aida Blas

$25

Marisa Casten

$23.81

Fiona Naughtin

$23.81

Sue Cirillo

All the best to Nicky. That is a very hard hand to be dealt. I am sure she is handling it with her positive nature, but hope she is able to find a donor. Happy walking guys. You are a good family❤️

$23.81

Gini Adcock

Thank you for your volunteer work & good luck

$11.92

Shirani Wright

Our Team