I'm running the 2025 NYC Marathon with a mission close to my heart — for the Chris Klug Foundation (CKF), an organization dedicated to eliminating the transplant waiting list by inspiring and educating people to register as organ donors.

This mission is personal. In 2002, after years of battling primary sclerosing cholangitis, my dad received a lifesaving liver transplant at the University of Michigan Hospital. His recovery was long and taxing — over four months in the surgical ICU — but that transplant gave our family the most precious gift: more time with the man we love and my hero.

That experience motivated me. In 2011, as a student at the University of Michigan, I presented a proposal to the House Special Commission urging our state to move from an “opt-in” to an “opt-out” donor registration system. I believed — and still believe — that we can do better. That more families, like mine, deserve a second chance with the people they love.

Today, my dad is in need of a kidney transplant as the immunosuppressants to keep his liver healthy have adversely affected his kidneys. He now faces dialysis and the unrelenting challenges of chronic illness, yet he continues to meet each day with remarkable strength and optimism. His resilience is my inspiration.

There are over 103,000 people in the U.S. waiting for a lifesaving transplant. And while 96% of Americans support donation, only 48% are registered. That gap costs lives.

This November, I’ll run 26.2 miles to shine a light on the importance of organ donation and the incredible power it has to transform lives. I’m running for my dad. I’m running for the thousands still waiting. And I’m running in the hope that more people will say yes to donation — yes to life.

Please consider supporting this cause that has given my family hope, healing, and the gift of time. Register as an organ donor — and if you’re able, make a donation to the Chris Klug Foundation. Every step, every dollar, and every signature counts.

With gratitude (and forever Go Blue),
Justine