Dear friends,   

I am teaming up with Donor Network West to raise awareness about the need for organ, eye, and tissue donation at the 10th annual Donate Life Run/Walk!  This event will celebrate those touched by donation and honor the donors who have given the gift of life. 

I received my second chance at life in February this year. As a cardiomyopathy (ARVD) patient living with heart failure, I felt the door closing on many aspects of my life. I was unable to exercise safely and I had given up ever being able to run again. My donor's selfless gift saved my life and has made it possible for me to continue to hope and dream. I have been learning how to run again and this will be my first 5K. I am beyond grateful to my donor and their family for this second chance and all the possibilities it holds. What an honor it is to be able to run in their memory and support organ and tissue donation awareness.

Funds raised from the Run/Walk help provide education on organ, eye, and tissue donation through community outreach, research, clinical events and our annual Donor Family Ceremonies.  Each person touched by Donor Network West’s public education campaigns, who then registers as a donor, has the potential of saving 8 lives through organ donation and improving another 75 lives through tissue donation.

It’s easy to make a difference – just click the button to the right to make a donation or join my team! This is a virtual walk/run 5k/10k, so you can join in every way, every place -- walk, run, treadmill, hike -- it's up to you. Donor Network West is a nonprofit Donate Life organization, and accredited member of the Association of Organ Procurement Organizations (AOPO), the American Association of Tissue Banks (AATB), and the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS). Your support will help over 11,000 people waiting for a life-saving transplant in Northern California and Northern Nevada. 

I hope you will join me in building a future where all those waiting for a transplant receive their second chance at life.

Thank you for all your love and support! 

Lilian