Next Tuesday, four women who have each donated kidneys will set off for a 444-mile bike journey along the Natchez Trace Parkway to promote and raise awareness for living organ donation.
The event, dubbed “4Women 4Kidneys 444Miles 4days,” will begin in Nashville, Tenn., and conclude in Natchez. Before, during, and after the four-day trek, the living donors will share their personal stories of living donation.
Two of the women, Diane Mills and Anna Cannington, are Mississippi residents. They’ll be joined by Becky Bussey, of Colorado, and Rebekah Thomas, of Vermont. For Cannington, the trip is a small part of her living donation journey that began when she donated a kidney to her weightlifting counterpart who was previously a stranger.
“A kidney transplant gives somebody back their freedom and their ability to live their life,” Cannginton told SuperTalk Mississippi News, noting that while the procedure isn’t minor, it’s safe and routine. “To be a part of something amazing like that, to have an impact on somebody else, it’s just an opportunity that’s a special time.”
Each of the four women has a different story, but all had similar reactions when they became aware that people needed a life-saving transplant. Bussey and Thomas were “non-directed” or “altruistic” donors, meaning they didn’t give to anyone specific. Mills jumped at the chance to donate to a friend with hereditary kidney disease, and Cannington’s gift to someone in her weightlifting community inspired her sister to donate as well.
“There’s still a real need for real-life donors. It just makes you see life differently when you do something like that,” Cannington said. “It just puts your focus on positive things. There’s so much negative in this world that can attract your attention, but when you see people help each other out like this, it’s just a special thing.”
Another part of what the women want people to see in their lengthy bike ride from Nashville to Natchez is that donation doesn’t slow people down. In their case, it’s spurring them on.
“Just to know and to see examples of people who have donated who can still do really cool things, it inspires confidence in the process,” Cannington said. “It’s okay to think about doing and it’s not going to negatively impact your life or your ability to do anything.”
According to the National Kidney Registry, around 90,000 people are waiting for a kidney transplant in the U.S., and it typically takes 3-10 years to receive a match via a deceased donor. In comparison, the average wait time for a kidney patient to find a match through a living donor is just 90 days. A donation from a living donor can also last up to 25 years longer than one from a deceased donor.
4Women 4Kidneys 444Miles 4days is made possible in part by The National Kidney Registry, Donate Life Mississippi/MS Organ Recover Agency, and Kidney Donor Athletes. You can learn more about the ride here.
