MOOSE JAW — The eighth annual Moose Jaw Transplant Trot is set to return to Sunningdale Elementary School on Sunday, May 25, offering a community celebration of hope, health, and the life-changing impact of an organ donation.
Participants are encouraged to gather in front of the school by no later than 9:30 a.m., where a series of short speeches will kick off the race, set to follow at 10 a.m.
The annual event is organized by transplant recipient Kevin Gadd and his parents, Ferdinand Frey and Roxanna Gadd-Frey, with the goal of bringing awareness to the life-saving impact made by organ donors. Participants can choose between a three-kilometre fun run, suitable for guests of all ages, or a five-kilometre walk or run.
Gadd, a double-lung transplant recipient and co-organizer of the event, said the day is all about raising awareness for a cause that’s close to his heart.
“It’s just another day to get everyone together and talk about organ donation and how important it can be,” he said about the annual Transplant Trot.
Gadd was born with a hole in his heart and pulmonary hypertension. After undergoing open-heart surgery as a child, he faced ongoing health struggles throughout his youth. In 2014, at a critical time in his life, he received a double-lung transplant — a procedure he said gave him a second chance at life.
“It’s always a bittersweet day… because you just think of, you know, what would life have been (like) without that surgery,” he said earlier, reflecting on the annual Transplant Trot event. “Would I (have been) able to do much of anything (without this procedure)…?”
Gadd often reflects on his new lease of life, including a profound sense of appreciation for his donor and their family. He will never forget that he might not be here today if it wasn’t for the monumental surgery one decade earlier.
He said it’s truly astonishing “that you are able to be here 10 years later, doing five-kilometre (walks) and running around with your kids and being able to pick them up.”
Gadd said the trot remains largely unchanged from previous years. Participants will follow roughly the same route as in the past, starting and finishing at Sunningdale School.
Those who are more determined are invited to complete the five-kilometre loop twice for a full 10-kilometre distance, otherwise only the three- and five-kilometre options come standard.
“It’s just the same old, same old,” Gadd said. “We’re just getting everyone together and celebrating this cause that we’ve brought to Moose Jaw for so many years.”
Gadd encouraged everyone in the community to attend in a show of support, whether it’s to walk, run, or simply be present.
“We’d love to see you come out, join us, and just spend the day with us promoting organ donation awareness,” he said.
All proceeds from the Transplant Trot will go to the Canadian Transplant Association, which supports organ and tissue donation awareness across the country. To learn more, visit CanadianTransplant.com.
Registration is available online and will be accepted right up to the morning of the trot, although last-minute registrants are asked to come as early as they can to sign up. For more information or to register, visit MJTransplantTrot.ca.
Sunningdale Elementary School is located at 530 Wood Lily Drive.
