On August 2–3, 2024, a team of seven kidney donors, five kidney recipients, and two drivers/support crew who are also donors will compete in the Wild West Relay, a 200-mile journey through the Rocky Mountains consisting of 16,000 feet of climbing at elevations of two miles above sea level. This is a unique effort to showcase multiple kidney donors and recipients in a physical challenge.
The team, which is sponsored by the National Kidney Registry, ranges in age from 26 to 60, represents diverse racial backgrounds, and hails from eight different states across the country. In undertaking this event, the team hopes to showcase the life-changing impact that kidney donation has on recipients.
“The traditional approach to raising awareness about living donation has focused on donors, demonstrating that donation does not negatively impact health and that donors can live a full and active life after donating a kidney,” said team member Hilary Baude. “With this event, our goal is to highlight the life-changing effect of living donation on recipients, offering potential donors and clear and compelling reason to consider donating.”
The team showcases compelling stories of gratitude, grace, and resilience, including:
- A recipient who lost 130 pounds to be eligible for a transplant and now owns a gym and trains other patients in renal failure to live a healthier lifestyle.
- A father/son pair in which the father donated his kidney to his son.
- A kidney recipient who completed an Ironman after transplant.
All team members are available for interviews leading up to the event, and will also be available for on-location interviews at the start and endpoints of the race in Denver and Steamboat Springs.
About Team Member Hilary Baude: Kidney Donor
In May 2021, Hilary Baude donated her kidney to a stranger through the National Kidney Registry’s Standard Voucher Program. In 2023, she participated in the 1K12M (1 Kidney 12 Marathons) initiative to raise awareness for living donation, completing 10 marathons and two Ironmans in less than 10 months. Baude resides in Waterford, CT, with her husband and two young daughters. Currently a kindergarten teacher, she is pursuing her doctoral degree in educational leadership, social, emotional, and academic learning, and social justice.
About Team Member Wilson Du: Transplant Recipient
Wilson Du, aka Renal Warrior, is a kidney patient who was on dialysis for five and a half years before receiving his kidney transplant on March 8, 2022. During his time on dialysis, he managed to lose over 130 pounds doing various physical competitions such as riding his bike 600 miles down the coast of California, competing in an Olympic distance triathlon, and running various races. He now dedicates his life to helping other patients through his gym, The Mission HQ in Alameda, CA.
About the National Kidney Registry
The National Kidney Registry (www.kidneyregistry.org) is an organization whose mission is to save and improve the lives of people facing kidney failure by increasing the quality, speed, and number of living donor transplants while protecting all living donors.
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