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Organ recipient organizes philanthropic running event for local child

August 11, 2011|By HAL MORRIS | hmorris@amnews.com

Clay Jackson/clay@amnews.com

JUNCTION CITY — Jean Crawford believes she was given a second chance in life, and now she is trying to make sure others get that chance as well.

Crawford has organized the first Kentucky DASH for LIFE to be held in conjunction with the Railroad Days 5K on Saturday morning in Junction City. Proceeds from the race will go toward paying some of the medical bills of an anonymous local family whose child is in need of a heart transplant.

“I saw the jars in the stores (to help the family) and saw the people who organized the Railroad Days run to see if I could in some way take that on and keep it the 25th Railroad Days and also make it the first Run for Life,” Crawford said. “The former director had retired and I was asked to serve as the new race director.

“I was a runner prior to my transplants, and I thought what a wonderful way to give back.”
Crawford had a six-organ transplant in February 2006.

“I had a liver, pancreas, spleen, stomach, large intestine and small intestine,” she said. “I had my milestone five-year survival anniversary in February. There’s very few of us that has survived a multi-organ transplant.

“I call it not just the gift of life, but the gift of love, the gift of time. And the gift of time is most important because it allows you to imprint memories with your grandchildren, family and friends.”

There will be an organ and tissue donation booth set up for people to sign up as organ donors at the race site at the community park.

“We reached 1 million donors in Kentucky (in 2010), and that is awesome. But we are in constant need of donors,” she said.

Even those who are not running can come by and sign up to be an organ donor, Crawford said.

“It’s really exciting. There are many walks that liver associations and kidney associations put on, but Kentucky has never had a run/walk that is just for this purpose,” she said. “I’m so proud to have the honor of helping get it going. It’s been quite the learning experience.”

Kidney recipient Dan Gutenson of Lincoln County will be the race leader, leading runners out on a bicycle. Organ recipients and families of recipients and donors are encouraged to run, Crawford said. Before the awards ceremony, recipients and donors and their families will be honored.

Crawford said she hopes this first Dash for Life can become a yearly thing.

“I hope to continue as director for many years to come to honor all of our donors and hopefully make an impact on the lives of people who are waiting on a transplant or who are going through that process,” she said. “It surely is an emotional and stressful time for families, and if we can ease the financial burden in even some way, I’d like to be a part of that.”

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