Learn how a kidney transplant changed this San Ramon woman's life. And find out how you can help other people who need a donor.
She’s walking that day in the Donate Life California 2011 Walk at Lake Elizabeth in Fremont. And it marks to the day, the day she received a kidney transplant, granting her determined wish to be able to “raise my daughter.”
She grew up with kidney problems.
“I never felt well,” she said. "With medicine what it was at the time, doctors were telling my mother I probably wasn’t going to live that long.”
Lockhart beat those expectations.
Then at 38, she was finally forced to remove toxins through kidney dialysis. Starting her first year of teaching, she was also a divorcee with a 6-year-old daughter.
“Instead of feeling sorry for myself, I was relying on myself for the first time in my life," she said. "I was strong, I could do this. My main goal was to raise my daughter.”
A donor changed her life.
That daughter has grown up and comes to dinner every Monday night. Her life was enriched with a marriage to Gordon, the husband she met through his own kidney transplant. They were married from 1993 until his death in 2007.
“The walk will be a perfect way to mark my anniversary," Lockhart said. "I will be with people who understand how donation saves lives. We all get wrapped up in our daily lives, but this will be a moment when I realize how wonderful my life really is."
Hundreds will walk Sept. 10 so that more people can give the gift of life. Money raised helps to tell people about the need to sign up as an organ and tissue donor. About a third of the state’s residents are signed up – not enough to help the 21,000 people who need an organ today.
Fees include a goodie bag, T-shirt and the chance to win prizes during the 2-mile walk.
The event begins at 8 a.m. It costs $30 per person until Friday, Aug. 26 and then $35 per person until Sept. 7.
Sign up at www.active.com. Select Register at the top of the page. Pick a team or start your own team.
Anthony Borders is a spokesman for the California Transplant Donor Network. Read more about the organization at www.ctdn.org.
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