A liver donor and the recipient of her donation run the New York Marathon together. Friends Dave Kane and Sara Kate Gillingham were just two of more than 30-thousand runners in the 50th NYC marathon. But their purpose and story of how they got to this point is unique.
Around four years ago, Kane was diagnosed with cancer and he needed a liver transplant. And when his friend, Gillingham found out about his predicament, she wanted to help. "I don't know, I just felt a calling,” Gillingham recalls. “I felt like I am in a really good position to do this." Doctors successfully removed 60% of Gillingham’s liver and transplanted it to Kane.
Fast forward four years and the pair are closer than ever. They’ve been training together and they hope their story can inspire others to become living organ donors. Their entry in the NYC Marathon is not just a personal challenge, but a chance to raise money and awareness for the American Liver Foundation. When asked what she hopes people get from their story, Gillingham says, "I guess it's that it's totally possible to make a bigger impact on the world than you think is possible by doing this — digging deep in yourself to give something that is very scary."