Help Kasie raise money

My story regarding organ donation began before I was born...

Back in 1984, my dad was one of three siblings to experience kidney failure. After much testing and research we don’t know why their kidneys failed as it was not a hereditary condition.

At the age of 24 my dad received his first dialysis treatment. He was on dialysis for about a year and a half before he got the call that would change his life. 

Growing up I had always known that December 8th was an important day to my dad. We wouldn't celebrate or do anything special but he would always reminisce about the night he was out at a Christmas themed play when his beeper went off...he had a match.

The kidney transplant that he received when he was 25 gave him the chance to live his life to the fullest. He succeeded at work and at home, eventually having three kids of his own (that's where I come in!) 

At a very young age I knew how lucky I was that my dad was healthy and I understood that it was all due to a generous donor. Throughout my childhood, he was extremely active doing everything from coaching our softball teams to going skydiving with us when I turned 18.  

Then in December of 2010, his donor kidney failed. After 25 years of exercising and eating right, he returned to a life that revolved around dialysis. Every Monday, Wednesday and Friday he went to a local dialysis clinic for a three to four-hour treatment.

What many people don’t realize is that while dialysis can keep you alive, it’s not a permanent solution. After six years, my dad’s dialysis treatment had really done a number on his heart. The medications that he was required to take affected his skin health, nerve endings, blood pressure as well as his strength and energy levels. However, the most notable side effect of dialysis was the development of a disease called calciphylaxis. After years of treatment, the dialysis machine was no longer extracting calcium out of his bloodstream. Instead, the calcium was building up in his veins and impeding blood flow. The disease was not only extremely painful (requiring multiple amputations) but it was terminal. 

My dad’s medical history has given me a unique perspective on organ donation. I’ve seen the good that comes from a successful transplant and I’ve experienced the bad that comes from having to wait too long. 

THAT is why I am running in the Falmouth Road Race on the New England Donor Services team for the 5th consecutive year. 

Now, I absolutely HATE running but I am 1,000% crazy about my dad, I miss him with every single piece of my heart AND I know that when I am running he's right there with me (definitely laughing at me but there nonetheless)!

So, regardless of my lack of athleticism, I am excited to run with my dad in my heart and the hope that someday EVERYONE will be an organ donor and those in need will never have to wait.