Miami Transplant Institute Participates at Run 4-Life Walk

The Miami Transplant Institute (MTI) at the University of Miami/Jackson Memorial Medical Center collaborated with the Life Alliance Organ Recovery Agency (LAORA) to participate at the annual Run-4 Life Walk.

The cause honors the lives of organ, eye and tissue donors, celebrates its recipients and recognizes those waiting for a lifesaving transplant. This year the event took place on October 11th at Charnow Park in Hollywood, Florida.

“We had 15 teams, 23 sponsors and more than 500 runners or walkers that participated,” said Cynthia Smith, Communications Manager of LAORA.

The agency was founded in 1987 and currently serves six counties in South Florida. It is one of the nation’s 58 federally designated organ recovery agencies certified and is regulated by the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS).

This is the third year MTI has participated alongside LAORA and the first time for MTI’s vice president, Gila Kimmelman.

“It was nice to run with coworkers as well as meet some of our past and present patients,” said Kimmelman. “It was touching to see people who had gone through our program be healthy and participate in the walk.”

MTI continues to make its mark in the transplant community through this kind of exposure and their commitment to all those affected by this cause.

“After the feedback from everyone involved, so far, it is very clear this will be bigger and better each year,” said Smith. “We have already identified some important opportunities to improve our marketing of this event as a result of the great feedback.”

Over $30,000 of donations were collected at this year’s walk.