LETTER

Great-tasting water!

 

Has anyone else noticed that our city water tastes better lately?

It used to have a bit of a metallic flavour and a whiff of chlorine but not anymore.

This is good news for me. I need to drink a lot of water because I have kidney disease. I don't like bottled water much. I don't like the ridiculous cost. And I really don't like the waste. We recycle but I believe there's too much plastic floating around our planet.

Instead, of late, I love drinking the water coming out of the tap in our house. There's no cure for my disease yet, but drinking water helps my body cope with kidneys that are slowly losing their ability to do their job.

I'm not the only one with kidney disease: Dr. Dmitrios G. Orieopolous, a leading Canadian kidney disease specialist, says that "the incidence of kidney disease in North America has reached epidemic proportions." A person can lose up to 80 per cent of kidney function without experiencing any symptoms. I can tell you that this is true: I've lost about 70%. I feel just fine. But I know it's only a matter of time before I will need dialysis or a transplant.

I'm a volunteer in Wychwood for the Kidney Foundation of Canada. This year's campaign takes place between April 7th and 28th. So when a campaigner visits you, please give as generously as you can: it's for a good cause. Research has made great strides in the past 30 years but there's a long way to go.

Healthy water helps a lot, so thanks to the city for improving our water quality. Let's hope the city can move forward on another front by fixing busted roads like Lucerne and St-Joseph - to name just two.

Bill White
Aylmer