At the end of the stage program, participants gathered in the expo area to honor those impacted by organ, eye and tissue donation for the annual Ribbon Ceremony. Those attending watched a video featuring voices in the community, including living donor Ellie Paulson; transplant recipient Hilda Chavez; supporter & advocate for life Savanna LeDoux; waitlist candidate Rico; and Scott Pinkney, the brother-in-law of a donor and transplant recipient. After the video, each of them waved their flag onstage, while the crowd raised ribbons, each color representing a personal connection to donation.

Who You Dashed For

Marijean of Centennial shared about her son Kody, who passed away in 2018. Kody had said yes to donation at the DMV. His decision saved five lives. Marijean has spent the last five years as an Advocate for Life, telling Kody’s story with the hope that it will encourage others to register as organ, eye and tissue donors.

Sydney from Bailey wrote about her mom, who died suddenly in February 2024 after years of fighting lupus. She wasn’t registered as a donor, but her family knew being a donor was something that their mom would have been proud of. She ended up saving four lives. “Through this dark time,” Sydney wrote, “we wanted to bring light to others.”

Celebrating a Second Chance

While many honored the legacy of their loved ones, others were celebrating their own second chance at life. Todd from Centennial is closing in on seven years since his double lung transplant. He took up running not long after to honor the donor whom he never got to meet but has given him many more years to spend with his daughter who was just five years old when he got his transplant. Another participant, Tina drove down from Cheyenne, Wyoming to honor her donor. She is still waiting to learn more about them but hopes to one day say thank you to their family.

Jen from Arvada ran the Donor Dash as a living donor. Her best friend’s dad, Ed, was diagnosed with liver disease, and when Jen heard her friend was getting tested as a possible donor, she signed up too. She turned out to be a match. Jen and Ed has surgery in June and while Ed was still recovering in the hospital, Jen ran the race with his name on her bib. “We’re doing this for you, Ed,” she wrote.

These are the stories the Donor Dash is all about and are the heart and soul of our efforts to inspire and educate the people across Colorado and Wyoming about the importance of registering as organ and tissue donors.

Share Your Story

If you have a story of your own that you’d like to share or if you are interested in learning more about becoming an Advocate for Life, we would love to hear from you. You can reach out at DonorAlliance.org/share-your-story learn more at DonorAlliance.org/volunteer.