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Ride the 1500-mile "The Organ Trail" advocating for more living organ donors

“You could literally save someone’s life, so why not,” asked Randy Tornquist.

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — There is a growing demand for organ donors nationwide particularly living organ donors. Local 24 News Reporter, Brittani Moncrease, spoke with a living donor pedaling to send a message. 

Let me tell you about The Organ Trail and no, not the Oregon Trail that you learned about in history. This trail raises awareness for living organ donors.

What if we told you a good brew crafted an unbreakable bond?

Mark Scotch is biker from Wisconsin.

“My wife and I retired, so we were down in Louisiana escaping Wisconsin winter,” said Mark Scotch, The Organ Trail founder. 

They stopped at a small brewery where Scotch met Hugh Smith, a total stranger. 

“We talked for maybe 45 minutes. He got up to leave and I said, ‘I’ll buy you one more,’” said Scotch. “He said, ‘I’ve got to go home and get on dialysis.’” 

Smith had stage five renal failure and needed a kidney. 

Scotch responded without even thinking. 

“I said, ‘Well, if you need a kidney, I think I can give you one of mine,’” said Scotch. 

He underwent tests and did the research.  

“Thirteen people die every day because of the lack of transplants,” said Scotch.  

“We have about a thousand patients waiting for a kidney transplant,” said Dr. Vasanthi Balaraman, Living Donor Kidney Transplant Program Medical Director at Methodist University Hospital's James D. Eason Transplant Institute. “We still face a huge organ shortage. There is a huge need for living donors to sign up and in fact for everybody to sign up at least as a deceased donor.”  

Luckily, Smith had Scotch and is doing well. 

However, Scotch turned up the gears starting The Organ Trail, a 1,500 mile ride from Wisconsin to Louisiana.

“We’re trying to raise awareness with the bike ride, but it’s not about the bike ride. It’s not about us. It’s about the people that need our help,” said Scotch. 

It is a message hitting home for his fellow rider and a cancer survivor, Randy Tornquist.  

“You could literally save someone’s life, so why not,” asked Tornquist.

“I just felt that it’s a pretty small price we can pay to help somebody,” said Scotch.

 

 

 

 

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