Andrew Schukraft, left, poses with a fellow runner after completing a Donor Dash run in Philadelphia.
Submitted photo
Local organ transplant recipient runs in Gift of Life’s Donor Dash
Andrew Schukraft, holding sign, poses with a fellow runners after completing a Donor Dash run in Philadelphia.
Submitted photo
Andrew Schukraft competes in a Donor Dash in Philadelphia. Schukraft, 26, received a kidney transplant when he was 17.
Submitted photo
Andrew Schukraft, 26, of Dallas, holding a sign, poses with fellow runners after completing a Donor Dash run in Philadelphia. Schukraft was diagnosed with kidney disease when he was 16. He received a kidney transplant when he was 17.
Submitted photo
DALLAS — For Andrew Schukraft, the doctor’s appointment was just a routine sports physical exam.
After all, the 16-year-old was in seemingly good health.
But when he went in for the exam, the now 26-year-old’s very high blood pressure was flagged. After a few more appointments and tests, it was discovered he was at 5% kidney function and diagnosed with IgA nephropathy, also known as Berger’s disease, which is a chronic kidney disease characterized by the accumulation of immunoglobulin A antibodies in the kidneys.
“At that time, I wasn’t having any symptoms, so I was lucky they found that,” Schukraft said.
After trying different treatments, he needed dialysis done in a hospital 90 minutes from his house, severely impacting his daily life.
The diagnosis upended the Dallas resident’s life.
“When you are on dialysis, it’s a four-hour treatment,” Schukraft related. “So I was going to school on a part-time basis.
“The basic everyday things we take for granted, like showering or being able to eat the foods you like, are not really something you have when you are on dialysis.”
Fortunately for Andrew, he was able to receive a kidney transplant when he was 17.
“Life is significantly better once you have a transplant,” he said. “Everything is healthy right now.”
To celebrate this gift of life, Andrew is running the 10k at the Gift of Life’s Donor Dash on April 27 at the Navy Yard, Philadelphia. This is his fourth Donor Dash. This year’s event coincides with Gift of Life’s 50th anniversary. The Dash raises awareness of a critical public health issue: the urgent need for life-saving organs. Seventeen people die each day waiting.
Schukraft is running on a team named “Sid the Kid,” as he and his friends refer to his new kidney as “Sidney the Kidney.”
The run falls during National Organ Donor Month, which runs through April.
“I think there are some misnomers out there about what it means to be an organ donor and just how many people are waiting for life-saving transplants,” Schukraft said.
“People like me would have a tougher path without organ donation. I would not be here today without the selflessness of others.”
Kendall Bunch, media relations coordinator for Gift of Life Donor Program, was quick to dispel those misnomers.
“I know there are a lot of myths that go around,” she said. “People think that paramedics and doctors wont save them if the are designated on their (driver’s) license.
“Nothing could be further from the truth. Their No. 1 priority is saving your life.”
Organizations such as Gift of Life and Donate Life work year round to raise awareness of the need for organ donors. The need is extreme. More than 100,000 children and adults are on the national wait list, 5,000 in our region alone.
Gift of Life currently has a goal of 50,000 donors by the end of April. They currently are at 47,000 donors.
An individual can become an organ donor at donorone.org.
