Triathlons For Transplants

I find myself in a position where I have received a transplant from a person I call my "personal angel". Through her selflessness and that of her family, I received this life altering procedure in October of 2006. It was predicted by my doctors that my wait would be over three years to receive the pancreas and kidney that I needed. It was also predicted that I would not last that long on dialysis. My body just did not handle the process well. I had to make a choice to give up or to fight. I had way too much to live for, so I fought. 2 years and 11 months later, I got a call to get to the hospital. A possible donor had been located. My surgery was successful due to the large group of Doctors, Nurses, Technicians and Coordinators that helped me through at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics and the VA Medical Center.
1 year later, I found myself contemplating what I had done to deserve such a gift. I really couldn't think of anything. Sure, I feel I am a good person, but there are a lot of good people that don't get the organ that they need. I felt I had to do something to earn what I had been given. I also felt the need to pay tribute to my donor and all donors that have saved at least one life with their gift. They made a choice to be someone's hero, mostly in anonymity.
It was a decision that I made that I would run triathlons with a "give life" message on everything I wore, in everything I did, with everyone I talked to. I would start this website to let people follow my progress, to see what a donation can do, and to give them access to their states Donor Registry, so that they can make a decision based on their heart and mind and sign up to be a donor, now.