HOLLAND (WHTC-AM/FM) — A Wisconsin man will pedal his bike into Holland as part of a Massachusetts-to-Wisconsin ride promoting kidney disease awareness, living donor opportunities, and post-donation functionality.
It’s the second time Mark Scotch, 65, of Plover, WI, is hitting what he calls “The Organ Trail.” He started at Martha’s Vineyard on Sept. 19, traveling through New York, Ohio, Indiana, and now Michigan, with stops planned at about 4 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 10, 2021, in Holland and on Monday, Oct. 11, 2021, in Muskegon. Scotch told WHTC he’ll be rolling into town to spend the night at the Haworth Hotel at Hope College, 225 College Ave. at about 4 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 10.
He anticipates getting back to Plover, WI, right around Saturday, Oct. 16.
“The Organ Trail is all about generating awareness for the need for kidney donors, especially living kidney donors, but it’s also about showing people that even with one kidney, you can still lead a life full of activities, even if those activities are sustained and vigorous,” said Scotch, in an email sent to area media outlets.
Scotch’s kidney donation journey started in early 2020 when he met Hugh Smith, 56, a former professional horse jockey, at Cane River Brewing in Smith’s hometown of Natchitoches, Louisiana.
Scotch learned that during his days as a jockey, Smith suffered frequent injuries. To combat the pain, he took ibuprofen for an extended period of time. This damaged his kidneys, sending him into severe renal failure in 2019 and requiring him to have daily dialysis. This also put him alongside nearly 100,000 Americans waiting for a life-saving kidney.
Just the day before, the two men had been strangers. Scotch volunteered to donate one of his kidneys to Smith.
Although Scotch’s kidney wasn’t a direct match for Smith, he went through with the donation, to a stranger, through the National Kidney Registry Voucher Program. With that act, Scotch named Smith as the person he wanted to benefit, giving the former jockey higher priority on the transplant list.
Scotch ultimately donated a kidney to a New York resident. Smith received a kidney from a California donor earlier this year.
Learn more about The Organ Trail and living kidney donation can be found at the National Living Kidney Organization’s The Organ Trail page: nkdo.org/the-organ-trail.
Full details of this 1,600-mile kidney donation awareness journey can be found on Facebook on on his blog, The Organ Trail, which features video travelogue-style updates: theorgantrailhm.wordpress.com.
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