1 Couple, 2 Donors, and 3 Recipients
2024 Hero Award Winner - Mark & Lynn Scotch
How often do you meet a couple who both decided to save a life as a living donor? Well, meet Mark and Lynn, who, in total, have saved the lives of three individuals through two kidneys and one liver donation.
Mark was inspired to become a donor after meeting Hugh Smith, a former professional horse jockey, at a bar in Natchitoches, Lousiana. Hugh was in desperate need of a kidney transplant, as he was on dialysis each day to combat his renal failure. After hearing Mark immediately stopped him and said, “I will give you a kidney!” Mark was touched by Hugh’s story and was aware of living donation as his sister-in-law donated her kidney.
Mark immediately began the steps to become a donor after meeting with Hugh. However, it was soon discovered he was not a direct match, and that is when NKR’s Voucher Program came in! This allowed him to donate his kidney to someone else who was in need, and Hugh would receive a kidney from someone else who matched him. As a living donor, Mark could choose to donate on a day that worked for him This day was September 30th, 2020, when Mark donated to a stranger in need. Soon after, in February of 2021, Hugh received his kidney from a man in Southern California. Since their transplant, they are back to living life to the fullest and inspiring the world with their story.
After donating his kidney, Mark immediately wanted to do more and discovered the possibility of donating his liver. He spoke with UW Health staff, who informed Mark that, due to his age and the fact that he was already a kidney donor, they would not perform the transplant. After hearing this, Mark assumed that there was a national age limit and that he could not donate.
In the spring of 2022, while at an event, Mark started chatting with a nurse in attendance who worked for the Living Liver Donation Program. When he mentioned the fact he had tried to donate but was unable to due to the fact he was over the age limit, the nurse quickly rebutted, “We go to age 70!” Mark took this information and ran. He immediately began the steps to become a donor with Keck Medicine. During the testing, it was discovered Mark would be unable to donate to an adult or teenager due to the structure of his liver. He could, however, donate to a baby or toddler.
Mark worked closely with Keck Medicine until a match was found. Mark’s recipient was Selena, who was diagnosed with Biliary Atresia (BA) after her 6-month check-up appointment. Selena was 9 months old when she received her lifesaving liver transplant on May 25th, 2023. Since Mark’s donation and Selena’s transplant, both patients are bouncing back well.
One of the individuals their story inspired was Mark’s wife, Lynn, who decided to become a donor as well! Lynn had planned to donate altruistically, but just two weeks before her surgery, she came across a Facebook page created for young Cooper Thompson. Cooper had been on dialysis since he was 8 months old and needed a kidney transplant as soon as possible.
Lynn immediately called her team to find out more about directing her donation to Cooper. After several discussions, Lynn made the decision to save Cooper’s life by donating her voucher through the National Kidney Registry to Cooper. This voucher allowed him to jump to the top of the waitlist. Cooper’s parents were not aware of the program, so this felt like the golden ticket. Lynn’s surgery was completed, and her kidney went to an individual in need. On March 2nd, 2023, Cooper received his kidney donation from the voucher program.
After becoming donors, Mark and Lynn decided to continue raising awareness for organ donation. They chose to do this by combining organ donation with their passion for riding bikes. They called it the Organ Trail, and the aim was to show the world what organ donation can make possible and how you can continue to live your best life after the transplant. The first of their routes followed the journey of Mark’s kidney from Wisconsin to Hugh in Louisiana. The ride gained tremendous support and a media following, leading to Mark and Lynn completing more trips, including Massachusetts to Wisconsin, San Diego to Texas, and Texas to Louisiana. This June, they will follow the loop Lynn’s kidney took from Wisconsin to Illinois and then Minnesota! Mark himself has biked over 7,000 miles post-donation to raise awareness.
Mark and Lynn have also shared their journey in over 250 interviews with local, state, and national news outlets, and were featured on the Today Show. CKF is delighted to celebrate Mark and Lynn’s work to spread awareness for organ donation and their individual commitments to save the lives of three individuals! We cannot wait to see their achievements over the next year as the 2024 Hero Award Winners. We are sure they will continue to help bring awareness to thousands nationwide.
