This August, I’ll be riding in the 2024 Leadville Trail 100 MTB race. Call me crazy...but it’s for a good reason: I’m riding on behalf of my friend Neil Hull and the Chris Klug Foundation (CKF), a nonprofit that educates on the importance of organ, eye, & tissue donation. I will be riding in memory for a friend I Iost a few years ago because he could not get a donor Kidney in time. Neil was a healthy fifty year old guy by all accounts. One day he noticed swelling in his ankles only to find out his kidney was failing. Neil passed on after a long battle with trying to get a donor kidney in time.
So, why CKF? Although I am able to take on such a daunting physical (and mental!) task like riding the Leadville 100, there are still more than 104,000 people in the U.S. like my firend Neil who cannot, because they're awaiting a lifesaving transplant. Seventeen of these people die each day waiting for their turn, for their transplant. And every nine minutes, someone new is added to that waitlist. Just one person has the ability to save up to eight lives as an organ donor and improve up to 75 lives through tissue and eye donation. But here’s a stark reality: although 96% of U.S. adults support the idea of organ donation, only 54% are actually registered as organ donors. That isn’t good enough. I’m riding in the hopes of eliminating the wait for a transplant. I know that’s a lofty goal, but if my riding helps just one person from having to wait, I believe it's worth it.
CKF is making huge strides to educate people of all ages, with the goal of registering more individuals as organ donors across the U.S., in the hopes of one day eliminating the wait for transplant nationwide. Please help me raise the very important funds they need to continue their lifesaving mission. The smallest amount helps and 100% of your donation is tax-deductible. Donations can be made via credit card or check.
