AURORA, Colo. — A little more than a month after the Olympics wrap up, women triathletes will be heading to the south of France for another competition on the global stage.
The Women’s Ironman World Championship is Sept. 22, and Colorado native Liz Young has qualified for the big race.
Young grew up in Colorado Springs, lived in Denver for several years, and now works as a school counselor in China. Just recently, she became a sponsored athlete for the National Kidney Registry.
In 2022, Young donated one of her kidneys to a stranger.
“I don’t even know the man who has my kidney,” she said. “Every day, people are dying while they’re on the waitlist, waiting for a kidney. If more people considered kidney donation, it would decrease the number of people waiting for a kidney.”
Young has completed 11 Ironman competitions. This fall will be her sixth race with only one kidney.
“I have moments where I forget that I only have one kidney,” she said. “My health is the same as before, if not better.”
The decision to become a living donor was easy for Young. She knew she wanted to help save a life.
“I have decided not to have children, and I wanted to do something to leave a legacy,” she said. “I wanted to do something selfless. I wanted to do something that would help better someone else’s life. I know when you are a parent that is your children.”
This month marks two years since her donation. Dr. James Cooper, medical director of kidney transplant at UCHealth Aurora, said Young is walking proof that you can survive and thrive after a kidney donation.
“Very few limitations for kidney donors over the long term,” Cooper said. “Liz is a great example of taking that to the extreme where you can compete at the highest level with only one kidney. I think she’s a great example of how kidney donation is a wonderful thing for a patient who needs a kidney. It’s a wonderful thing for society. And in the long term, the impact on your lifestyle is minimal to none.”
According to the National Kidney Foundation, a kidney from a deceased donor can last between seven and 10 years while a kidney from a living donor, such as Young, can last 15 to 20 years.
Because Young donated one of her kidneys, if a family member needs an organ transplant in the future, they will be bumped up on the waitlist.
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