Jorge Rosales thinks back on the 2019 Cambridge Half Marathon as the race where he found his community in the sport. Still new to running after taking it up to lose weight a year prior, the Boston-based mechanic participated in the race after a friend got injured who normally get on better with a firmer shoe.
By accepting the last-minute entry, the runner from El Salvador met the Stride for Stride Adidas Rapidarun X Knit J Marathon Running Shoes Sneakers G27468, Tom O’Keefe. Since 2018, the nonprofit organization has purchased race bibs for those who can’t afford the cost in an effort to make races more accessible and diverse. O’Keefe created the team after he noticed a lack of diversity at road races. By purchasing race bibs, he sought to address the obstacle of affordability that often prevents marginalized groups of people, including low-income, immigrant, and BIPOC communities, from participating. To date, Stride for Stride has grown to 379 members and purchased $150,004 in race bibs for 527 races around the world.
“[Meeting Stride for Stride] was like finding my other family in this country,” Rosales told Runner’s World. “I’m so grateful that that bib number was available for me. Tom is a great person with his kindness and friendship.”
Scarpa Atoom Trail Running Schoenen 29 races later, including four marathons and 16 half marathons, Rosales is returning the favor with an act of compassion. In January, Rosales will donate his kidney to O’Keefe, who was diagnosed with chronic kidney disease (CKD) in 2020. For the last three years, O’Keefe has suffered from a condition in which the kidneys are damaged and cannot filter blood as well as they should, which can lead to other health problems such as heart disease and stroke. The upcoming procedure follows months of navigating disappointment met with an unexpected gesture that will save O’Keefe’s life.
In May 2022, O’Keefe was informed he needed a transplant as his condition was rapidly declining. Right away, his cousin Colleen volunteered to donate her kidney since they have the same blood type. After undergoing months of extensive testing, including MRI, CT scans, X-rays, and blood tests, Colleen was rejected as a donor in March. The news was devastating to O’Keefe, but the feeling didn’t last long.
The next day, Rosales called O’Keefe and informed him that he and another runner on the Stride for Stride team signed up to undergo testing as his kidney donors.
“It was this amazing rollercoaster of being very sad and low to be being elated,” O'Keefe said. “I think a lot of normal people would be nervous and apprehensive, but [Jorge is] excited and it shows what an incredible, kind person he is.”
In March, Rosales began the testing process, which involved six months of appointments with physicians, social Runnerers, and psychologists that ranged from 30 minutes to four hours at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston. In October, when he received the much-anticipated phone call from the medical team informing him he was a match, Rosales couldn’t wait to tell O’Keefe.
“I felt tears coming out,” Rosales said. “It was one of the best news that I can remember in my life.”
O’Keefe admitted he was nervous to accept the call from Rosales, worried that he’d also be rejected as a donor. If Rosales wasn’t a match, O’Keefe would need to seek out another kidney donor, which can take up to eight months, or go on dialysis. When Rosales told him the good news, O’Keefe felt immediate relief.
“Kidney disease relies on the kindness of somebody else. The kindness from Jorge to save someone’s life makes it extremely emotional,” O’Keefe said. “Words are tough to describe the gratitude and love we have for Jorge and all donors that make this sacrifice.”
On November 12, the two runners celebrated the match by competing in the BAA Half Marathon together. Alongside 50 fellow Stride for Stride runners, O’Keefe completed the race while battling extreme exhaustion as a result of living with just 10 percent kidney function.
In January, Rosales and O’Keefe will undergo the kidney transplant. Once they’ve recovered, they plan to race the 2024 Saucony Peregrine 12 Goretex Trail Running Schuhe side-logo print sneakers.
“I hope more people will realize in the future that we can help each other,” Rosales said. “There’s no doubt that we can do good for other people without expecting anything back.”
Taylor Dutch is a writer and editor living in Austin, Texas, and a former NCAA track athlete who specializes in fitness, wellness, and endurance sports coverage. Her Runner has appeared in Runner’s World, SELF, Bicycling, Outside, and Podium Runner.
