On November 1st of this year, I will be running in the New York City Marathon, representing Kidney Donor Athletes (KDA). KDA played a huge part in my decision to donate my kidney to my mom in September of 2023. 

When my mom needed a kidney there was no doubt in my mind that I wanted to give her mine, but once I found out I was a match everything became much more real and scary. I was worried about how my life would look afterward- if I would be able to continue living the active lifestyle that I love. 

Before I even knew KDA existed I actually googled the phrase 'kidney donor athletes,' and of course KDA was the first site that popped up. I was able to read stories of dozens of kidney donors that were running marathons, participating in huge bike races, even climbing Mount Kilimanjaro in Africa and Cotopaxi in Ecuador. 

The information KDA provided helped me make one of the best decisions of my life, which led to one of the best days of my life- the day I was able to donate to my mom. I will always remember waiting in pre-op to sign consent, and the surgeon saying to me, "Are you ready to save a life today?" 

And now is my chance to give back to KDA while pursuing another dream of my own- to run the NYC Marathon. 

If you are able to donate, that would be awesome, but if you're not, I understand. Any positive well-wishes will also help me get where I'm going on this journey. 

No amount of money is too small, and sharing this page with others will also help! Thanks for your support!