Kindess
How a Simple Act of Kindness Can Save Your Life
The race calendar for Team Stride for Stride in Boston and NYC is very quiet during these cold winter months. However, Stride for Stride had a life-saving first month of 2024 thanks to a beautiful act of Kindness.
On January 10, 2024, Tom O’Keefe (founder of Stride for Stride) received a life saving kidney donation from his Stride for Stride teammate, Jorge Rosales.
During his first month of recovery Tom wrote a book about Jorge’s incredible act of kindness; “Kindness: How a Simple Act of Kindness Can Save Your Life.” In the book Tom recalls the picture above from November 3, 2019;
There was one picture taken on this day - a team picture - that I find myself looking at frequently in recent months. When I look back at this picture I’m struck by what I didn’t know at the time. First, I didn’t know that I would soon be diagnosed with Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD). And second, I didn’t know that the man in the picture - the man I just met - would someday save my life.
Tom also talks about the last race that he and Jorge ran together on November 12, 2023 before their transplant on January 10, 2024. As Tom recalls in Kindness;
This brings me to the B.A.A. Half Marathon on November 12, 2023. Stride for Stride had 52 runners in the race and I wanted to join them for one last half before my transplant in January. My GFR had dropped to 10% before the race and extreme exhaustion was definitely setting in. However, I wanted to run with Jorge and my team.
On January 10, 2024, Tom and Jorge went into surgery at 10am and by 4pm they we were told that the transplant was a success.
I think of Jorge. I think of Bridget. I’m extremely grateful for both of them and the incredible team of nurses and doctors at BIDMC. I waited in post-op for a few hours, but it flew by. I was so happy to have a fresh start. I was very happy.
Now, six weeks post-op, both Tom and Jorge are doing very well. Jorge is back running and working, and Tom is taking long walks for exercise while still being highly immunosuppressed. Their next race together is the BAA 5K on April 13th. In “Kindness” Tom looks forward to the race;
This year I will not be crossing the finish line after running the marathon, but I will be running through the finish line while running the 5K, and I’m extremely excited about that. The B.A.A. 5K will be the first race that Jorge and I will run together since our kidney transplant, and our first race since the B.A.A. Half in November 2023.
I'm excited to run the 5K with Jorge and my Stride for Stride teammates. I’m excited to have a second chance at living life. And, I’m excited to show current and future kidney recipients that there is hope.
I want to give hope to kidney transplant recipients that you can live an active life, including running a marathon, after a kidney transplant.
And, it’s important for potential donors to see Jorge running so soon after surgery. Many potential donors are worried that they can’t live an active life post transplant. Seeing a donor like Jorge running a 5K, a half-marathon and a marathon, gives confidence to those individuals on the fence about donating.
To order the book and to read the incredible story about Stride for Stride, Tom and Jorge, please click on the image above or visit:
https://www.blurb.com/b/11907137-kindness-newest-edition
One of Team Stride for Stride’s team members recently sent me an email thanking Stride for Stride for helping her overcome a tough year. She ended with this incredible sentence.
Thank you very much again for all your support, you not only pay to register for a race, you change our lives.
Thank you for supporting Stride for Stride and for helping us change lives. We couldn’t run without you.
This year alone Stride for Stride has spent $11,000 on race bibs, including bibs for; the Boston Marathon, the BAA 5K, and the 305 Half-Marathon in Miami - our biggest race yet for Team Stride for Stride in Miami.
Please consider a donation to Stride for Stride today so we can continue making dreams come true and so we can continue changing lives.
Thank you - Tom O’Keefe
