A Giving Relay

In 2011, The Hood to Coast Relay recorded $517,000 fundraised to support the American Cancer Society.  Last year there were 1250 Hood to Coast teams, 400 Portland to Coast Walk teams, 50 High School Challenge Teams with 4100 race volunteers.

Along with raising money for the American Cancer Society, this race strives to make the public aware of the Organ donation program and the different ways to contribute.

From a personal point of view, the organ donation program has been a god send to my family.  Over 21 years ago, my mother-in-law, Floydene, was given a new life by a liver donor.  The family has been thankful for all the precious time we have had with our loved one.

One team member from Linn Benton Community College is Christine Boone.  In 1996, Christine lost a sister to Cerebral Palsy and she was able to donate her cornea, helping two people.

 Boone is walking in honor of her brother, Terry, who died in 2004 of complications from his Cerebral Palsy.  Terry was pronounced brain dead, while in the hospital and his family did not hesitate to designate him an organ, eye, and tissue donor.  Because his heart, liver, kidneys, pancreas and cornea were donated, a lot of lives were saved. 

Boone uses her brother, Terry, as her inspiration for all her races and “when she is in pain, she thinks about the constant pain Terry suffered without complaint, just being happy to be alive.  Terry taught Christine to love and live everyday to the fullest.

Hoping to inspire others to sign up on the donor registry with her love of life, so more people have the opportunity to live longer, fuller, and richer lives, two of Christine’s friends from Linn Benton have joined the team for the race.

 

The Hood to Coast Relay was founded in 1982 by Robert Foote with only 8 teams the first year.

Jude M. Hubber, Vice President, Marketing and Public Relations for the Hood to Coast/Portland to Coast Relays, relates that the event is so successful that they had “to turn away over 50% of the teams that apply. On August 24, we will have 1050 Team of 12 for the OfficeMax Hood to Coast Relay, 400 teams of 12 for the LifeMap Portland to Coast Walk Relay, and teams of 12 for the Muscle Milk Portland to Coast High School Challenge Relay, for a total of 17,000 participants.” 

Karen Werstein, owner of Werstein Communications, relates that that one local team in particular is thrilled every year it gets to participate, The Transplant Trotters, is celebrating their 10 year anniversary in the relays. 

Werstein said, last year, Robert Foote, the founder of Hood to Coast announced publicly for the first time that he is also a organ transplant recipient.

 

Today there are over 112,000 people waiting for transplants, nationally with approximately 1,000 from Oregon state.

If organs are usable, donations at time of death are eyes, skin, bone, connective tissues, heart valves, veins, kidneys, heart, liver, lungs, pancreas and small intestines.  Also, while living, a person can donate blood, bone marrow, one kidney and a portion of a lung or liver.

Mary Jane Hunt, Executive Director of Donate Life Northwest, started in 1985 with responsibilities which “included fund development (event planning) and building a statewide speaker’s bureau with transplant recipients.” 

After being promoted to executive director in 1990, Hunt had “the privilege of not only working at growing an organization but experiencing the expansion of public awareness and acceptance of organ, eye and tissue donation.”  When Hunt began, she “recalls speaking to groups and asking if anyone in the audience knew of someone who had a transplant or was a donor.  Occasionally, someone would say yes.  More often now, almost anyone I meet knows someone who received a transplant, or was a donor.”

Hunt is proud to say Oregon has 2.1 million or 71% of licensed drivers over the age of 18 registered for organ donation and this make Oregon number 3 nationally. 

For the last 14 years straight, the event has sold out on opening day, which is usually in October of the previous year.

Hubber says ANYONE can participate from world class athletes, beginners, sight impaired, hearing impaired, wounded warriors, cancer survivors, elderly (if you consider 84 elderly), wheelchair users to name a few.  There will be teams from all 50 states and 36 countries this year per Hubber.

Rob Priewe, a Linn Benton Instructor and advisor to The Commuter, has been involved in the relay for the last 10 years.  "He is excited each year he gets the opportunity to participate as only about half the teams that sign up are allowed into the event.  Even with some of the unexpected traffic jams that hindered his team's finish last year, Priewe is looking forward to this year's relay."

Seaside--with a resident population of some 6,400--gets a bit overwhelmed, when 2,000 teams, along with volunteers and non-participants, converge on the town.

Over the years, Priewe said, his teams have usually finished the 200-mile relay between 26 and 30 hours. 

At a Glance:

August 24 and 25- starting at Timberline Lodge on Mt. Hood and finishing in Seaside, OR.
There is a beach party with roughly 60,000 people attending in Seaside, Oregon. 

Click this link for the map:  http://www.hoodtocoast.com/course-maps

To contribute or get information on the race for next year, go to http://www.donatelifenw.org/content/make-gift.

http://www.unos.org/donation/index.php a cite to correlate all transplant information across the U. S.

MOVIE: On 1/11/11 The Hood To Coast Movie premiered in theaters across the country, documenting the story of four teams, their lives and their journies to complete the race

PHONE: 503-292-4626
CONTACT US

 

What it takes to be an organ, eye, and tissue donor:

4 ways to register

1. Code your driver’s license, permit or identification card as a donor

2. In Oregon, anyone 13 years and older can sign up on the Donor Registry at

www.donatelifenw.org

3. Request a paper form at 800.452.1369

4. Register via Facebook