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John Fluevog of Fluevog Shoes, centre, attended the BC Kidney Gala on March 7 where he announced a limited-edition Kidney Shoe in honour of his living donor, Patty, and her husband, Alan.

Renowned Canadian shoe designer and retailer of forward-thinking footwear, John Fluevog, is putting kidney health front and center this month with the newly released Kidney Shoe. Like all Fluevog shoes, the Kidney Shoe is a statement piece with its own personality, while the story behind the Kidney Shoe is very personal to John.

John grew up knowing that an inherited form of kidney disease called polycystic kidney disease ran in his family, but he never thought too much about it, that is until a few years ago. “It started with me feeling extreme tiredness,” he explained recently when speaking with The Kidney Foundation. “After visits to my doctor, I learned my kidney function was dropping significantly.” It wasn’t long before his doctor raised the notion that John would soon need dialysis or a kidney transplant. “The whole thing felt a bit surreal. I could not believe this was happening to me. I always thought I was super healthy, even after I had overcome other medical conditions. I guess I was living in a state of denial.” After processing the news, John reached out and shared his story with family and friends but made the decision to keep his kidney journey private from the public.

“I did not know what to expect but looking back I realize how fortunate I was. Just in time, I had two people step up and offer to donate a kidney to me—one was my niece and the other was a long-time friend of my wife.” When his wife’s friend, Patty, decided to get tested, she discovered she was a match, and ultimately donated her kidney to John.

“It’s not easy to accept this kind of gift. Words cannot express how very grateful I am. I owe my life to Patty. I began to contemplate how I could give back. So, I did what I know best, I designed a Kidney Shoe with my kidney donor in mind and named it, of course, Patty.” John also created a men’s version of the Kidney Shoe and named it after Patty’s husband, Allan.

As with every Fluevog original, the Kidney Shoe had to be both fashionable and blissfully wearable. Comfortable enough, John joked, that healthcare providers could make it through a hospital shift in style. He said the idea for the Kidney Shoe was inspired by a conversation he had with a doctor after his transplant. She handed him a sketch of a shoe and said he should make a kidney shoe.

John would later design that stylish and beautiful red Kidney Shoe with three straps representing the urethra, renal artery, and renal vein. It also has a special message engraved on the sole: True Love. Kidney’s freely given and freely received.

“This shoe is all about bringing awareness to kidney disease and the great need for more organ donors. It is about hope. Hope for all those still waiting for a transplant. Life always has hope.”

Fluevog Shoes is also a member of the Living Donor Circle of Excellence program (COE). This no cost employer recognition program, under the leadership of Dr. John Gill, honours organizations that ensure employees who choose to be a living donor are covered for wage loss during their recovery period. The Kidney Foundation is a strategic partner together with the American Society of Transplantation and Canadian Society of Transplantation. “The COE is great initiative, great for business and employee pride. A very meaningful way for companies to show their humanity,” adds John.

The Kidney Shoe will be available in Fluevog stores across Canada and the US beginning in March. Partial proceeds from the Kidney Shoe will go to The Kidney Foundation of Canada and the American Society of Transplantation.