It came to me...at the gym, of all places. I was on the treadmill trying to ward off boredom when it dawned on me. Eureka! What better way to celebrate turning (gulp) 25 than to mark the 10 year anniversary of my kidney transplant? And how better to do that than by raising awareness and money for the thousands of others who haven't yet been as lucky?
With some trepidation, I hatched the plan to start this blog. The main purpose isn't to wax poetic on my views (although I'm sure there will be plenty of the usual self-indulgent commentary), but to get word out about my goal to run a 10k (or several, potentially) next fall in honor of the past ten years and to kick off the next decade during which my Dad's kidney will hopefully continue to be its rockstar self.
I intend to use this blog as a means of keeping myself accountable. Though for some of you, a 10k is a walk in the park, let's face it, med school has taken quite a significant toll on my exercise routine. There will be times--an upcoming chunk of time, in particular--when I will be noticeably absent. However, I hope to post every week or so with my progress and any recent, relevant news. Ultimately, I hope to raise money for organ transplant research and to subsidize the exhorbinant cost of immunosuppressive medications for people who can't cover it themselves.
My efforts will focus specifically on the work being done at New York Presbyterian-Columbia University Medical Center, where I underwent my transplant surgery on July 26, 2001, but there are plenty of centers in need of help. At any given time, about 800 people are waiting for kidneys at CUMC alone; one can only imagine the numbers if those in line for other transplantable organs were tallied. Within Region 9 of the United Network for Organ Sharing, which covers only the state of New York and Western Vermont, this past month more than 7,500 people were awaiting kidneys.
There are countless worthy organizations to which one can give. Regardless of your religious or moral beliefs, I hope you will join me in acknowledging these people and in celebrating the modern miracle of organ transplant. To be completely honest, it feels odd and uncomfortable to be sharing this information about myself in such a public forum and, most of all, to be soliciting my friends for donations. However, I believe it's worth this feeling of exposure even if only a single person is helped by this campaign.
So I guess you're wondering how you factor into all of this. Well, here's what you can do:
1. Nothing! I will never know and promise to love you anyway. Maybe.
2. Read and feel inspired to do something--anything.
3. Send me song suggestions or, better yet, make me a 10k playlist.
4. Cheer me on!
5. Pass on word to friends, family, co-workers, whoever.
6. Join me! Run yourself and get friends and family to sponsor you for this cause.
7. Support transplant research and add to the fund for people struggling with healthcare costs, now or in the future.
Send your donation, payable to Columbia University and designated for renal transplant (or any other organ of your liking) to:
New York Presbyterian Hospital
Attn: Elena Manuel
622 West 168th St., PH-14-407
New York, NY 10032
May this be the start of an interesting and exciting adventure!
All my love,
Sarah
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