A MESSAGE FROM Ian and Luke Take on the NYC Marathon with CKF!
I am excited to say I am running this year's NYC Marathon for the Chris Klug Foundation (CKF)! I am thrilled to take on this challenge; there is no bigger stage than the New York Marathon. I am proud to represent CKF, which works to eliminate the wait for a transplant by inspiring and educating individuals to register as organ donors. Over 103,000 individuals in the US are waiting for a lifesaving transplant. They need us to register as organ donors. Unfortunately, while 96% of Americans claim to support organ, eye, and tissue donation, only 54% register. I hope that by racing the marathon, I can shine a light on how vital saying yes is! Please show your support by making a donation as I take on this mammoth challenge.
The NYC Marathon has been something that my brother, Luke, and I have talked about taking on together for a few years.
At age 16, I was diagnosed with autoimmune hepatitis and PSC. Eventually, it was determined that I’d need a liver transplant and on June 19th, 2017, my incredibly generous and selfless Aunt Dana donated part of her liver as part of a live donor transplant. While in the hospital post-transplant, Luke and I talked about how we wanted to run a race together once recovered and now, we’re ready to make that happen!
One of my goals post-transplant has been to do as much as I can with this second chance at life and in doing so, I hope to inspire others around me and in the transplant community to live their fullest and most active lives. I'm excited to run the NYC Marathon on behalf of the Chris Klug Foundation- let's eliminate the wait!
