TRAPPE, Md.- It's no secret – America's waistlines are growing. And it seems the pool of potentially life saving organs is shrinking. There is concern the nation's obesity epidemic could lead to a shortage of kidney donations nationwide.
One local woman is so inspired by the issue, she is making huge lifestyle changes to make a difference.
When Gloria Faulkner was just 19-years-old, she lost her father. He had been waiting for a kidney for years.
"It instantly felt like my world fell apart. I couldn't control anything and it felt like, I broke. Just literally broke in half and I stayed broken for a really long time," she said.
Yet out of that pain, Faulkner found inspiration.
"Immediately, everybody was, we wanted to be donors and I encouraged my friends to be donors. I told them, if more people donated, my father might still be alive," she said.
In 2009, Faulkner's daughter was diagnosed with a rare autoimmune disorder, which attacks her liver. One day, she may need a transplant.
But Faulkner was hit with the reality that she might not be able to step in and help.
"I've always advocated being a donor, being a donor but then I'm overweight and I was like, 'What if my daughter needs a transplant? What if any of my kids need a transplant or my sister's kids need a transplant and I'm already hurting myself by being overweight?' But then I would hurt them."
Read more: http://www.wboc.com/story/18440993/father-daughter-inspire-trappe-woman-to-lose-weight-to-become-organ-donor
{Register to be an organ,eye and tissue donor. To learn how, www.donatelife.net or www.organdonor.gov}
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