Beyond the Workout: One member’s decision to donate a kidney and REDEFINE what strength really means.

At Old City, we talk often about doing hard things. Usually that means a tough workout, showing up on days you do not feel like it, or choosing discipline over comfort. Recently, one of our members lived that mindset in a way that goes far beyond the gym.

One of our very own, Stacie, made the brave decision to donate a kidney anonymously.

Below is her full story, in her own words.

The Decision

Q: What led you to decide to donate a kidney anonymously?

A: It's something I've been considering for several years. I feel very fortunate to be in good health and even though I'm only 52, I've witnessed lots people who aren't so lucky. There aren't that many ways we can share our good health with others directly, but this gave me that opportunity. I have an aunt who's lived a very healthy, long life with one kidney and a good friend who donated a kidney about a decade ago. So living with one kidney and donating were familiar to me, and the idea of donating just kept coming into my orbit in different ways. 

Q: Was there a defining moment when you knew this was something you had to do?

A: There wasn't. Once I started the screening process, things moved very quickly at first, and it honestly freaked me out a little. I assumed that I might match with someone on the waiting list, but didn't think it was a given. Then I learned that the need is so great that if you're willing to donate, there will absolutely be someone who your kidney will be compatible with. So at that point I needed to kind of take a deep breath and decide if this was really something I wanted to do before I went any further with screening. The only thing holding me back was fear, which makes sense. But also I feel like all the best things I've done in my life scared me to some extent before I did them. And I just kept coming back to how much I could help someone and that was something I wanted to do. 

The Gym Mindset

Q: We often talk about “doing hard things” in the gym—how does this experience reflect that mindset?

A: I was defintely committed to donating but knew that there will be pain and discomfort involved and that recovery will take while. So I think the parallel is knowing, yes this isn't going to be easy and I'm still going to do it. Getting past letting fear hold me back. 

Q: Did your training background give you confidence going into the donation and recovery process?

A: It has. Just knowing that I'm the strongest me I've ever been mentally put me in a good place to feel like recovery might not be fun, but I've got a strong foundation to be able to get back up & going as smoothly as possible. The sense of body mechanics I have from working out has also been helpful in recovery to minimize discomfort and navigate around soreness.   

Recovery & Return

Q: What is the biggest challenge during recovery?

A: Lots of abdominal soreness and discomfort, which limits some pretty basic movements at first. But I seriously think it's helped me that I'm used to being sore from working out in general, and used to having sore abs, because it doesn't feel unfamiliar. It's not been acute pain.  

Q: Has this experience changed how you define strength or fitness?

A: Not yet, but I'm only 9 days into my recovery and intend to be pretty cautious about longer term because the biggest risk of doing too much too fast is developing a hernia, and that's something I intend to avoid at all costs. So I have a special program I'll be doing for the next few months that's focused on very low weight stuff so I can get back to moving but safely. 

Community

Q: What kind of support can we, your gym family, provide to you throughout this process?

A: Just moral support. I'm not sure what my getting back to the gym will look like as far as class times-- my normal 5am might be a bit early at first. So if I show up at your class time to do Open Gym, just ask for your grace and patience.

Looking Forward

Q: Has this experience changed your goals inside or outside the gym?

A: My fitness goal is to be able to do scaled Murph in May (I've always done it scaled), to prove to myself I've been able to rebuild stamina. I'm not sure if it will change other goals for my life, but that's a distinct possibility. Doing this sort of puts everything else in perspective in a different way. 

Q: Even staying anonymous, what does it mean to you to know you’ve changed/saved someone’s life?

A: It means everything. I've been feeling a sense of peace that's pretty profound.

Q: What do you hope our community takes away from your story?

A: Maybe just that living organ donation is not as scary or as crazy as it might seem at first glance. If that plants a seed of consideration for someone, that's great. There are about 100,000 people on the transplant list at any given time and only about 6,000 living kidney donations annually. Or even if this is not the right way for someone else to help, simpler things like giving blood are such an important way to share your health if you can.

Stacie, you’re a true inspiration to all of us, and your story has elevated our idea of what true strength really means.

We are so proud to call you an Old Cityzen!