I've always been an average Joe. Not especially great at any one thing but always up for anything, which is exactly why in high school, on a dare, I joined the all boy wrestling team as a freshman. I loved it instantly! This lead me to running, all those weigh-ins and cutting weight, meant many … Continue reading Meet Kidney Donor Athlete, Susan!
Being a healthy, active woman in my 50s, I knew after seeing my friend’s story about needing a kidney for her daughter several times that I needed to throw my name into the hat and at least see if I was a match. It was a long journey but I indeed was a directly compatible blood match … Continue reading Meet Kidney Donor Athlete, Natalie!
Right Kidney For The Trail On a special day, 8 February 2020, I ran my first serious run since donating my left kidney on 16 October 2019 – just 16.5 weeks later. At 73 years old, a half marathon trail run (my first trail run) on one kidney is a significant achievement. I ran the Rotorua Ultra Half, one of the more picturesque trail runs in our country, renown for … Continue reading Meet Kidney Donor Athlete, Tom!
My name is Jessica and I am a roller derby player also working on long distance running and I donated a kidney to my partner, Jon, in December 2019 during my university winter break. I hadn’t planned to spend my winter holidays in the hospital, I was originally supposed to donate in July that same … Continue reading Meet Kidney Donor Athlete, Jessica!
What brings me here are the three most important things I’ve done in my life: I married Amy, a sweet, honest, curious, clever and adorable woman, who has lived with type 1 diabetes for a long time. We adopted Holly, the funniest human being I have ever known when she was 3 months old. She’s … Continue reading Meet Kidney Donor Athlete, Jason!
My son was diagnosed with Alport syndrome in the fall of 1999. This is a genetic condition characterized by kidney disease, hearing loss, and eye abnormalities. People with Alport syndrome experience progressive loss of kidney function. He asked if I would be willing to get tested (it was much less rigorous back then!) and we … Continue reading Meet Kidney Donor Athlete, John!
