I’m not a very superstitious person or one that really believes everything happens for a reason, but every once in a while it just feels like things are falling into the place they belong. One evening around Halloween in 2018, my husband and I were living with my brother and his girlfriend while our new … Continue reading Meet Kidney Donor Athlete, Ashlie!
I honestly knew nothing about living kidney donation when I started this journey other than it was something that people did for their loved ones (I had no idea people donated altruistically either!). This all changed when, in February of 2018, my mom called to tell me that she was in kidney failure and … Continue reading Meet Kidney Donor Athlete, Katie!
I donated my kidney to a stranger in December of 2014 at the age of 46. I am a bit embarrassed to say that the thought first came from social media. I had an acquaintance repost a photo of someone looking for a type O kidney donor on the back of their vehicle just after … Continue reading Meet Kidney Donor Athlete, Lynn B!
For most of my adult life, I've been an ultradistance athlete including 100-mile trail races, 100-mile snowshoe races in Alaska, 9 Eco-Challenge Adventure races (multi-sport, multi-day), and other ultradistance events around the world. In May of 2018, I became an anonymous kidney donor because it was my turn. My wife Pam has had 3 transplants; … Continue reading Meet Kidney Donor Athlete, Mark!
My name is Emily, and my first exposure to living organ donation was in high school. I was friends with a young man who found himself in liver failure at the age of seventeen and our pastor’s wife donated a lobe of her liver to him, saving his life. Now, fifteen years later, he and … Continue reading Meet Kidney Donor Athlete, Emily!
KDA 1 year update - To have a platform like Kidney Donor Athletes to share my donation story has been another unexpected benefit of sharing my spare. As an endurance athlete, I learned through success and failure what it takes to continue to keep my body running at age 59 and beyond. But a year … Continue reading Kidney Donor Athlete Skip’s Race Report and (almost) Kidneyversary!
About 10 months ago, my daughter announced to our family that her husband Bryan was in the beginning stages of kidney failure and was going to need a kidney transplant. This was not unfamiliar territory for Bryan or his family. His mom, sister and aunt all had someone else’s kidney in their bodies. His mom … Continue reading Meet Kidney Donor Athlete, Michelle!
On Tuesday 16 July 2019, my kidney twin, Jason and I, with both of our mothers arrived at the hospital, ready to change his life. It was an exciting moment for us. We checked into the transplant ICU in rooms next to each other and the process began. The first interesting thing to happen was … Continue reading Update From Kidney Donor Athlete, Varla!
Old running joke: How do you know if someone ran a marathon? Don’t worry, they’ll tell you about it. We’ve all heard that one no doubt. But on this site, those stories have cool plot twists! One year ago as I type this, on 7-13-18, I donated my left kidney to a man who … Continue reading Meet Kidney Donor Athlete, Pete!
I have never considered myself an athlete. I don't join clubs or teams. I avoid gyms like the plague. I don't lift weights or compete against other people. I have been carrying an extra 20 or 30 pounds my entire adult life. Doesn't sound too athletic, does it? But, on the other hand, I … Continue reading Meet Kidney Donor Athlete, Steve!
