SAN DIEGO — April is National Donate Life Month, and one Southern California man is going above and beyond to help.
After seven years waiting on the kidney transplant list, Linda Ketter's husband Jay hung a banner from a freeway overpass that read: "Wife needs kidney, blood type O."
Theron Hayes drove by and saw it.
“Honestly, my first thoughts were of empathy," Hayes said. "And the next thought was, 'Wait a minute, I’m type O blood. And if not me, then who?'"
Linda says she was born with a congenital issue that left her with one kidney, and then she developed Type 1 diabetes at 13-years-old.
In 2023, Hayes successfully donated his kidney to Linda, giving her a future to look forward to.
“I keep telling him this, but he is my hero because he literally gave me my life back," she said. "I have energy now.”
But Hayes is taking it a step further: At the end of April, he is setting off to hike the Pacific Crest Trail, more than 2500 miles stretching from the Mexican to the Canadian border. He’s hiking for the Ketters and hoping to inspire others to help.
“I’m already an avid hiker," Hayes said. "And I thought, what better way to demonstrate that you’re not encumbered by donating a kidney than doing something like the Pacific Crest Trail?"
The National Kidney Foundation estimates a dozen people die every day while waiting on the kidney transplant list.
Jennifer Berumen, MD, is the director of the living donor kidney transplant program at UC San Diego Health. She was also Hayes' surgeon and says living donation can be a great alternative to organs that are donated upon death.
“The kidneys tend to last longer, and patients get transplanted sooner than they would waiting on dialysis," Berumen said. "We also know that you’re getting a really good kidney because we’ve worked the donor up. We know everything about their medical history and their kidney function is good.”
Berumen says there are more than 90,000 people waiting on the national kidney transplant list. She believes Hayes' actions can help take away some of the fear around donating an organ.
“We really like the fact that he’s getting the word out there and letting people know that kidney donors can be normal, amazing people after donation,” she said. “People who donate kidneys can go on to live very healthy and happy lives. And in fact, actually report an increased quality of life from donation because they feel good about what they’ve done and they’ve helped somebody else and we have people like [Hayes] who are proving the story.”
Linda says she and Jay will be cheering Hayes on every mile.
“I’m so proud of him because he’s doing this less than a year after transplant," she said. “The gift you can give someone by donating a kidney, you literally give them their life back.”
Hayes says they will always share a special bond and he hopes his journey will create more stories of people united by the gift of life.
“What better gift could you have in your life than to help somebody in such a profound way?” he said.
You can follow his progress and see photos from his time on the trail through his Hike for Life Facebook page.