In Memory of Louis DeAngelis

*Everyday in the United States, 18 people die while waiting for an organ transplant.  Over 120,000 people in the U.S. are waiting for a transplant, and by the time you're finished browsing through this page, one more person will be added to the list.  Aside from solid organ transplants, more than 1,000,000 people need life saving and life improving tissues.  While the demand we have in the U.S. is high, the situation in New York is far more urgent.  Nearly 10% of the people waiting for transplants in the U.S. reside in the greater New York metropolitan area.  In the state of New York, someone dies every 15 hours waiting for an organ transplant.

We want to do our part to help change those statistics.  I'm excited to share with you that on November 2nd, 2014, my cousin Amanda and I will be running in the New York City Marathon as we are partnering with the New York Organ Donor Network (NYODN).  Prior to the race, we'll be raising money and spreading much needed awareness about organ donation.  We understand how important organ donation is and how it impacts the loved ones of those who have been given a second chance at life.  We know because we've been there.

On February 13th, 1991, my Grandpa received a lung transplant.  I was only 11 years old when he had the transplant.  My family and I were given a few more precious years with him because someone knew how important it was to give.  It's a gift that we could never possibly repay, but we can certainly pay it forward.  So I'm running this marathon to spread as much awareness and raise as much money as I can to help this important cause and organization.  I'm also running this in memory of my Grandpa Louie, the unknown gentleman from Indianapolis that gave my Grandpa a second chance, his family, and all the families who had to endure the loss of a loved one much too soon, and for the thousands who are waiting for their second chance right now.  

Almost 24 years after our grandfather's lung transplant, a really cool and interesting connection presented itself.  Our uncle Tim DeAngelis was previously a transplant coordinator and is now a clinical manager in the state of New York.  He familiarized us with the NYODN last year and we all felt that the family connection to this organization and great cause was much more than a coincidence.  We applied to run on their team and told them our story, they selected both of us, and we are very grateful to be a part of it.  Please help me raise money and spread awareness by donating, sharing this on Facebook, Twitter, Email, text messaging, or any other creative way you can think of.  You can follow my training on RunKeeper and you can follow me on Twitter @dmmjr116. Thank you all very much for your help and support!  Learn much more at www.donatelife.org.

You can also donate to Amanda by visiting the link below!
http://www.gofundme.com/c2i3u4


* http://www.donatelifeny.org/about-donation/quick-facts-about-donation/