It has been confirmed that the seventh annual Moose Jaw Transplant Trot will proceed as planned and this year’s run will once again be held at the Sunningdale School on Sunday, May 26.
The 2024 Transplant Trot is scheduled to begin with a series of speeches set to commence at 9:45 a.m. Following this, the run itself will start at 10 a.m. from the same location and will conclude when the last runner crosses the finish line.
The Moose Jaw Transplant Trot is organized by Ferdinand Frey and Roxanna Gadd-Frey. Their son, Kevyn Gadd, was the grateful recipient of a lung transplant back in 2014.
Gadd was born with a hole in his heart and pulmonary hypertension, and at age four he had to undergo an open-heart surgery at a specialist in Toronto. Throughout his childhood he faced several limitations and had to rely on medication for day-to-day life.
Back in 2010, Gadd first learned about his increasing health concerns through an Edmonton-based doctor. In 2013 he fell ill once more and then in 2014 Gadd received a double lung transplant that successfully turned his life around.
The transplant that saved Gadd’s life now gives him the opportunity to spend time with his children, who are around three-and-a-half and 12 years old. He said his kids are heavily involved in sports, and now thanks to the procedure, he’s able to keep up with them.
“It’s always a bittersweet day… because you just think of, you know, what would have been life without that surgery?” he asked. “Would I be able to do much of anything…?
“Of course, you always think about the family, who that person (was who) made their decision to be a donor, and (about) how grateful you are because of them.”
Gadd often reflects on this new lease on life and never forgets 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…”
The yearly trot features three levels of endurance so everyone can participate. These include a three-kilometre walking fun run aimed at children, a five-kilometre walk or run, and an advanced 10-kilometre run for anyone who is so inclined.
Nobody is expected to join in the 10-kilometre run, but Gadd said it’s for “the real go-getters” in the crowd who want to go the extra distance.
Participants will depart from the school at the same time and each route will be clearly denoted.
“So many people know people that have relatives or family or friends that have maybe gone through this and it really shows the importance of it,” Gadd said about the show of support for transplant awareness.
Gadd is hoping to conclude the event with an on-site barbecue lunch, but this hasn’t been confirmed yet and the decision will be made in the weeks to come.
Following the Transplant Trot, Gadd also hinted at the possibility of once again holding the non-profit organization’s annual golf tournament later this year, but no details have been released at this time.
In the meantime, the 2024 Transplant Trot will begin at Sunningdale Elementary School located at 530 Wood Lily Drive.
The best way to sign up is to register online at MJTransplantTrot.ca.
