Greetings!
My name is Jessi Rochel and I am on a mission to complete the Abbott World Marathon Majors! I’ve completed New York City, Berlin, Sydney, and Chicago, and I have my sights set on Cape Town next.
But rather than run just for the sake of running, I want to make my journey mean something.
So I am running for the Chris Klug Foundation. CKF is a US national nonprofit that educates on the importance of organ, eye, & tissue donation! Not only will I be running in their honor, but I will also be fundraising for their cause.
Why CKF? Because there are more than 103,000 people in the U.S. awaiting a lifesaving organ transplant. Every 8 minutes, someone new is added to that waitlist, and 17 of these people die each day waiting. And while 95% of U.S. adults support the idea of organ donation, only 48% are actually registered as organ donors.
Yet, 1 person has the ability to save up to 8 lives as an organ donor, and improve up to 75 lives through tissue and eye donation! So I am here to spread this life-saving message, and do my part to eliminate the wait for transplant.
I am also trying to fundraise $3,500 to help the Chris Klug Foundation. Please help me by making a donation through my page. The smallest amount helps, and 100% of your donation is tax-deductible. Donations can be made via credit card or check.
I have been a registered organ donor since my teens, am a member of the bone marrow and blood stem cell registry with NMDP, and one of my favorite things to do is to donate blood. I am also the Executive Director of the Chris Klug Foundation.
Organ donation is something quite literally close to my heart as my father received a life-saving heart transplant in 2015. There are no words or actions large enough to express my gratitude every day to my father’s donor and donor family, but I feel working for and representing CKF is a great way to honor them. In addition to donors and transplant recipients, I am here to represent the caregivers, too, including my mom, who are also heroes in the community.
In my free time, I love to spend time with my rescue kitty, Bergamot. I love books (especially mysteries and stories with magic), movies and TV series (especially cheesy ones), and all things athletic. I am a runner, biker, swimmer, skier, hiker, and racer (participant, not competitor). My favorite words are “Yes” and “Why not,” and I love to travel, particularly to participate in athletic events (usually ones that are long in distance or time) and foreign countries.
I hope you will consider donating (no amount is too small to make a difference!). And please help share this life saving message with your friends and family. Thank you for your time and support!
Gratefully and respectfully yours,
Jessi
