Bay Area kidney donors, recipient gear up for 300-mile race in hopes of inspiring others
Bay Area kidney donors, recipient gear up for 300-mile race in hopes of inspiring others
Some Bay Area kidney donors and recipients are defying expectations, as they take on a race more than 300 miles long. As they gear up for the challenge this week, they're inspiring others along the way.?
ALAMEDA, Calif. - Some Bay Area kidney donors and recipients are defying expectations, as they take on a race more than 300 miles long.
As they gear up for the challenge this week, they're inspiring others along the way.
From health struggles to multi-sport athletes
Wilson Du, Amy McCann and Adam Cozzette are busy training at the Mission HQ gym in Alameda for a big race this week. But it's not just any race, this isn't just any gym, and these aren't just any athletes.
"I had been diagnosed with kidney failure," said Du. "I couldn't walk."
"I was almost 300 pounds," said McCann.
"I ended up donating my kidney and part of my liver," said Cozzette.
These are the Bay Area members of the 11-person "Renal Warrior" team. The group – all kidney donors or recipients – is gearing up for the Source to City race in New York. The 316-mile endurance challenge, from the Adirondack Mountains to Manhattan, combines running, biking and kayaking.
What they're saying:
"I just thought, you know, why not?" said Cozzette.
"I would never have had the confidence five, six years ago. And now I'm just like, 'let's do it'," said McCann.
Why the confidence? Well, that's where the gym comes in.
A gym with a mission
The backstory:
After struggling to lose weight and get on the donor list, Du founded Mission HQ in 2019, as a place where kidney patients, cancer patients, stroke victims – anyone – could work out together.
"There's a shared trauma that everybody's going through something. And with that, they're able to bond with each other and they're able to push each other," said Du.
And push each other they did. McCann and Cozzette became organ donors themselves.
"It's the best thing I've ever done in my life," said McCann.
In 2023, Du completed the San Francisco Marathon.
And last year, the Renal Warriors completed a 200-mile relay across the Colorado Rockies.
"We had to level up from what we did last year," said Du.
Gearing up for a grueling race
Leveling up this year has meant training for months.
"I've never really done anything like this before," said Cozzette.
It's been intense.
"I'll go run one day, I bike another day," said McCsann.
And for good reason.
"We will be going anywhere between 12 to 15 hours a day," said Du.
Motivating and inspiring along the way
Watching them prepare has been an inspiration for other gym members.
"It's not just for them, it's for everybody else," said Yezin Taha of Alameda.
"It's amazing what they're doing to really show folks, you can do it," said Joy Ramos of Alameda.
And as they cross that finish line, they hope to catch the attention of others facing their own battles.
"My message to them is that there's hope in everything," said McCann.
"Let's prove to the country, everybody that's fighting, that there is hope after transplant," said Du.
What's next:
The team will head to New York on Tuesday. The five-day race starts on Thursday.
The Source: Interviews by KTVU's John Krinjak