Kidney donors run Publix Marathon to inspire others to give ‘the gift of life’

By Miles Montgomery and Madeline Montgomery

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    ATLANTA (WANF) — Hundreds of runners took over the streets of Downtown Atlanta for the 2023 Publix Marathon Sunday, and 15 of them were running for a cause: raising awareness for kidney donors.

“We’re a group of people that already have donated our kidneys and we have conversations with people that are considering kidney donation,” said Matt Cavanaugh, the president of the National Kidney Donation Organization.

The National Kidney Donation Association runs 12 marathons a year.

“You can save their lives by just giving something that’s a spare,” said Cavanaugh.

The Publix Marathon is their first of 2023.

“Coming back to Atlanta was so meaningful to me, just having donated three years ago and I haven’t really been to Atlanta since, so it’s amazing,” said donor Holly Armstrong.

Each donor’s story is different.

“It was a thing in 2020 where I felt like it was my mission to do. I wanted to donate to a stranger, to someone that could benefit from it,” said Armstrong.

“For me, it came down to this: for a relatively low risk to myself to almost nothing, someone else gets life,” said Cavanaugh.

All 15 runners with the organization out Sunday want people to see what they can still do after giving up an organ.

“There are so many people here who are runners, who care for their bodies, and they push their body to the extreme sometimes with how fast some of these marathoners run, way faster than me, but to know your body can heal itself can still have a healthy life,” said Armstrong.

“What I’ve found after donating is I’ve kicked on with my normal life as if nothing happened before. I’ve had a bigger and better life since then,” said Cavanaugh.

So far this weekend, the National Kidney Donation Organization has inspired over 50 people to sign up to be considered donors.

“It’s a great thing for me to see donors out there that are actually normal. A lot of time when you are thinking about people about donations. They are thinking hey my kidneys are out and my life is going to be changed, and I am not going to be able to do the normal things that I do. It’s an absolute testament to the process through which we put donors to make sure by the time you actually donate, you can donate and lead a normal life. So, you’re not only living a normal life but saving somebody else and changing their life and their history and their family. The change keeps going on and on and it’s amazing,” said Transplant Surgeon Emmanuel Minja.

“The journey is long I say never give up and don’t give up hope,” said transplant recipient Corey Rice.

The race included mile markers, fuel, and hydration stations for runners.

For more information, visit 1K12.org.

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