What is life like after kidney donation? Get more information on becoming a kidney donor and read stories from real donors.
On May 7, 2022, I finished the Namib Race—the first race in the Racing the Planet 4 Deserts Ultramarathon Series—in 4th place. It’s taken me a couple weeks to think back on the race and about what I would like to say about those 155 miles. I’ve decided on a lightly edited version of what … Read More
There are approximately 100,000 people in the United States waiting for a kidney, and many more living kidney donors are needed to give kidney patients a chance to receive a life-saving kidney transplant. If you are considering becoming a living kidney donor, you may be wondering whether kidney donation is safe, or if there are … Read More
I’m about to leave for the first race in the Racing the Planet series—250 kilometers in Namibia. You can check in on how I’m doing during the race by clicking here from April 29 to May 7. As I finish packing, I find myself pondering a quote, attributed to Lao Tzu: “The journey of 1,000 Read More
More than 90,000 people are in need of a kidney transplant, yet every year only about 6,000 people donate one of their kidneys. A kidney donation chain is a way of maximizing the number of kidney patients who receive a living donor kidney, while ensuring that all kidney recipients receive a donor kidney that is … Read More
On March 1, 2017, EJ Tamez became a living kidney donor when he donated a kidney to his younger brother, Luis Tamez. EJ has become a passionate advocate for living kidney donation, and is now Head Donor Search Expert Coach to the National Kidney Registry to help people with kidney failure find a living kidney … Read More
In late March I ran for 3 days straight, carrying a pack, in the Mojave Desert near Las Vegas. And let me tell you—after a certain point every step feels like a kidney punch. It’s either ironic, or perfectly appropriate, for a one-kidney guy trying to raise awareness for kidney donation, to take a constant … Read More
I got cocky. I thought I had this. Easy. No sweat. I’d just finished a Big-Boy-83-mile-weekend, so what’s another 22-mile training run? That’s nothing for a guy who can knock down 83 in 3 days. Boy was I wrong. First there was the springtime-in-Colorado weather. There was sleet, wet snow, the kind that sticks and … Read More
It’s one of the most frustrating and discouraging situations in kidney donation: A donor is medically healthy and eager to donate a kidney to someone facing kidney failure, but testing determines that the donor is not a match with the recipient. When faced with this scenario, kidney patients used to have to keep looking for … Read More
Today, as I type this, is March 15, 2022—6 months since I donated my left kindey to a stranger in Seattle on September 15, 2021. When I was discharged from the hospital, the nurse handed me a piece of paper that said not to run for 6 months. At the time, I highlighted the restricted-activity-paragraph, … Read More