Twelve Living Kidney Donors to Run in 200-Mile Relay Race to Raise Awareness About Healthy Lives After Donation Huntington Beach, Fri., Apr. 10, 6:15am, to San Diego, Sat., Apr. 11, 4:30 pm Twelve living kidney donors will run the 200-mile, overnight Ragnar Relay So Cal from Huntington Beach to San Diego to raise awareness that people can still lead normal, healthy lives after donation and to inspire others to take action in support of living and deceased donation. Over the course of two days and one night, team #344, “Have You Seen My Kidney?” will join 762 other teams in the race. Each participant will run three times, with each leg ranging between three and eight miles, varying in difficulty. Participants: Tyson Wood (Rescue, CA) and Bill Martinez (Lynwood, CA), who donated to their sisters; Kathleen Hostert (Fullerton, CA), who donated to her husband, Kathy Vochoska (Bakersfield, CA),who donated to her son and Leann Slaby Bier (Los Angeles, CA), who donated to her father and lasted 30 of 39 days on the TV show, ”Survivor;” Phillip Palmer (Los Angeles, CA), Michelle Guardino (Loomis, CA), and Fernando Landeros (South El Monte, CA), who donated to friends; Melanie Medlock (Scottsdale, AZ), who donated to an old friend after reconnecting on Facebook; team captain Rick Glover (Santa Ana, CA), who donated to a friend and walked alongside the 2015 Donate Life Rose Parade float; retired sheriff captain Elizabeth Kelly (Folsom, CA), and Ivan Slaban (Escondido, CA), civilian member of the San Diego Police Dept., who donated to strangers. When: Fri., April 10, 2015– 6:15 am – Start time for team “Have You Seen My Kidney?” Sat., April 11, 2015 – 4:30 pm – Finish time at Mission Bay Where: Start Line: 22 Huntington St., Huntington Beach, CA 92646 Finish Line: Crown Point Park, 1799 Moorland Dr., San Diego, CA 92109 Team “Have You Seen My Kidney?” is sponsored by the Donate Life Run/Walk, the OneLegacy Foundation, and OneLegacy.
Go to www.donateLIFEcalifornia.org to sign up to be an organ, eye and tissue donor.
For more information on becoming a living kidney donor, go to www.LivingDonationCalifornia.org
Our Editor, Art Pedroza, worked at the O.C. Register and the OC Weekly and studied journalism at CSUF and UCI. He has lived in Santa Ana for over 30 years and has served on several city and county commissions. When he is not writing or editing Pedroza specializes in risk control and occupational safety. He also teaches part time at Cerritos College and CSUF. Pedroza has an MBA from Keller University.
