Saturday morning, at the Donate Life Walk fundraiser in Fremont, the two women plan to walk a 2-mile course together in a celebration of organ donors — and the friendship that Lemen’s gift forged between them and their families.
“The fact that it was someone who didn’t know me all that well yet, and she was willing to put herself at risk for me — it just blew me away,” said Amy Baghdadi, a 39-year-old attorney in San Francisco and mother of two children.
“When I asked Olivia why, at the time she said it’s not often you have an opportunity to save someone’s life,” Baghdadi said Thursday, nearly tearing up at the memory. “She was that type of person who recognized how desperate we were. In giving us the ultimate gift, she’d get a gift as well. We’ve gained a tremendous amount by going through this together.”
The link shared by Baghdadi and Lemen, 33, began more than two decades ago through their mothers, who became close friends while teaching at the same elementary school in Santa Rosa. The two younger women got to know each other better three years ago when they joined Baghdadi’s mother, a breast cancer survivor, in a San Francisco running event to raise money for research into the disease.
Read more: http://napavalleyregister.com/news/local/organ-donation-from-casual-friend-creates-lasting-bond/article_871d076a-db6d-11e0-b3eb-001cc4c03286.html#ixzz1XZGNwKAw
Give us a shout-out if attended the Fremont Donate Life Walk!
Waiting to live again
Patients in the U.S. on waiting lists for organ transplants, as of Aug. 19:
• Liver: 13,090
• Heart: 2,200
• Kidney: 55,559
• Lung: 1,324
• Pancreas: 353
• Intestine: 169
Total: 72,410 (includes those needing multiple organs)
(Source: Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network)
To learn more
California Transplant Donor Network
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