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BRENTWOOD — A walk in the park Saturday is set to raise research dollars for a little-known health disorder, Polycystic Kidney Disease.

The PKD Foundation Walk begins at 9:30 a.m. with registration at 8:30 a.m. at River Park on Knox Valley Drive in Brentwood.

A grateful Steve Baum will be there, after having life-saving kidney and liver transplants in 2009 after his PKD had progressed for years.

“For organ recipients, it’s the generosity of the donor, the grace of God and great doctors,” he said.

The disease, which can be hidden under heart failure or diabetes, is genetic and usually creeps up over time. Symptoms usually develop between the ages of 30 and 40 but can begin earlier. PKD causes cysts to develop in internal organs, primarily the kidneys. The cysts will eventually choke off kidney function, making dialysis necessary. There is no cure. The disease affects more than 600,000 Americans.

Typically, the Brentwood PKD Walk raises about $45,000 or more, with many donations coming in after the walk. “The most special thing about the walk is the teams that form,” said Baum. Sometimes it’s coworkers supporting a patient or friends of a child diagnosed.

Founded in 1982, the PKD Foundation is a nonprofit, volunteer-driven organization with 61 chapters in the United States. To learn more, go to www.pkdcure.org.