LUBBOCK, Texas (KCBD) – Mark Scotch, 66, hit “The Organ Trail” for a fourth time, this time with a 1,361-mile bike ride. He rides his bicycle to promote kidney disease awareness, living donor awareness, and post-donation functionality.
Scotch’s fourth Organ Trail began Monday, March 21 in San Diego. From there, he traveled into Los Angeles, rode east to Phoenix, Arizona onto Albuquerque, New Mexico, and arrived in Lubbock, on April 11th – three weeks after he began his marathon ride.
“The Organ Trail is all about generating awareness for the need for kidney donors, especially living kidney donors, but it’s also about showing people that even with one kidney, you can still lead a life full of activities, even if those activities are sustained and vigorous,” said Scotch.
Scotch, who is originally from Wisconsin, chose to donate a kidney after meeting a complete stranger at a bar in New Orleans two years ago. Since then, after learning how easy it is, and how many people could qualify, he rides his bike on what he calls “The Organ Trail” to spread the word. The trail runs from San Diego to New Orleans. That distance represents how far a kidney can travel to a recipient in need.
“It wouldn’t take that many people to wipe out the wait list. Right now there are between 95 and 100,000 people waiting for a kidney. You do the math. If we filled one football stadium every year, once, that’s all it would take every year. You can donate a kidney, quite possibly save someone’s life, and go back to your normal lifestyle whatever that may be,” said Scotch.
He ended his ride at University Medical Center, where he was able to meet some UMC doctors.
You can get tested for kidney transplants or donation at UMC. The hospital will provide pre-op and post-op care, but the procedure is done through a partnership with UT Southwestern in Dallas.
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