Coloradan participating in this weekend’s Donor Dash in Denver says transplantation changed his life: ‘It saved me’

The 26th annual Donor Dash takes place this weekend in Denver, and among the participants will be a Coloradan whose life was changed drastically by transplantation.

A dozen years ago Doug French, 74, was struggling with burning eyes and swelling. He was living with hepatitis C.

“It didn’t stop me, but it surely slowed me down,” he said.

While he was holding out hope the newer treatments would assist with his situation, French went to meet with the hepatologist.

“He said, ‘If you don’t get a transplant, you won’t survive.’ And I went, ‘Oh, I see. I got this.’ That changed everything.”

French was living in Colorado at the time and was put on a transplant list in Oregon. So he and his wife moved temporarily to Portland and lived in a hotel for four months before he got the call they were hoping for. A recently deceased organ donor had a liver that was a match.

“Waking up from that transplant was a miracle. For the first time in years, my eyes weren’t burning from hepatitis C,” French said.

French recently celebrated 10 years since receiving his new organ, and with his body functioning at a higher level, he has lost 110 pounds.

He has always been an avid scuba diver, and in addition to making it easier for him to do one of his favorite hobbies, his new liver has allowed him to take other activity levels to new lengths. He completed his first half marathon in April. That was something he wasn’t even thinking about prior to his transplant.

“Was it even on the back of your mind: ‘One day I’m going to do a half marathon?’” CBS Colorado’s Michael Spencer asked French.

“Oh no, no, no,” said French, who jogged with his nephew-in-law. “During that particular time, I kind of like draw a blank about my life and about my future. I had no idea what was next. It saved me. And I’ve I can’t say enough about how grateful I am,” he said.

The Donor Dash takes place on Sunday at Washington Park. CBS Colorado is a sponsor of the event and Spencer serve as the emcee of the event. Find out how you can register for the event or help the Donor Alliance at donoralliance.org/donor-dash/.