Raising Awareness of Rare Diseases on Foot... Sanofi's 'Good Steps 6-Minute Walk' Campaign

Sanofi Korea, the Korean branch of the global healthcare company Sanofi, successfully conducted the ‘Good Steps 6-Minute Walk’ campaign in celebration of Rare Disease Day, with the participation of 58,457 citizens.

On the 13th, Sanofi employees and patients with rare diseases walked together on the 'Kind Steps Zone' acupressure path installed on the outdoor stage of Yebitseom, empathizing with the pain of patients with rare diseases. [Photo by Sanofi]

Rare diseases refer to conditions with a patient population of fewer than 20,000 or diseases that are difficult to diagnose, making it impossible to determine the number of patients. Globally, more than 6,000 diseases are classified as rare diseases. In Korea, many rare disease patients spend over 10 years trying to receive an accurate diagnosis, often missing the golden window for treatment.

The Good Steps 6-Minute Walk campaign was inspired by the ‘6-minute walk’ test, which measures disease improvement in rare disease patients. Over the past eight years, the campaign has gathered steps from participating employees and citizens to raise awareness about rare diseases and support patients.

This year’s Good Steps 6-Minute Walk campaign was carried out in collaboration with Sanofi, the Korean Society of Medical Genetics, and the Korea Rare and Intractable Disease Alliance to promote the importance of hereditary rare diseases, early diagnosis, and the spread of family testing culture.

The online walking challenge, held for a month starting from the 22nd of last month through the mobile walking application WalkOn, recorded a high participation rate, surpassing the goal of 1 billion steps within just three days. Additionally, about 2,000 citizens participated in the ‘Good Steps Zone,’ a reflexology path experience set up at the outdoor event on Sebitseom on the 13th, providing an opportunity to empathize with the pain of rare disease patients. The total number of steps donated through this campaign reached 13,317,745,911, equivalent to 253 laps around the Earth’s circumference.

On the 13th, Sanofi also held a music talk show called ‘Rare Disease (RD) Stage’ during the event, where discussions about rare diseases took place alongside music. Four musician teams, including rare disease patients, participated to cheer on overcoming rare diseases. Additionally, Dr. Beomhee Lee, Genetic Counseling Director of the Korean Society of Medical Genetics, shared insights on early diagnosis and family testing for rare diseases.

Heekyung Park, President of Sanofi-Aventis Korea, said, “I felt great fulfillment in sensing the sincerity and passion of the citizens who supported rare disease patients and led efforts to improve awareness of rare diseases. I would like to thank the citizens for their enthusiastic support and participation, and Sanofi will continue to make every effort to improve the quality of life for rare disease patients in all possible ways.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.