Local Family Honors Micheal Oviedo Who Offered Hope and Life to Others
(Houston – September 13, 2023) – LifeGift’s 2nd Chance Run (5K/1mile walk or run) in Houston honors organ, eye and tissue donors in 109 Texas counties in North, Southeast and West Texas. The Houston 2nd Chance Run will take place on Sunday, September 17th, 7:00 a.m. at Minute Maid Park, home of the World Series-winning Houston Astros. LifeGift invites you to spend a morning celebrating the gift of life. The 2nd Chance Run is a timed event; you can run or walk 1 mile or 3.1 miles (5k) at Minute Maid Park or participate virtually! LifeGift’s 2nd Chance Run/Walk will begin INSIDE Minute Maid Park at the Warning Track! For more information and to register, please click here.
All registered 2nd Chance Run event participants will receive a custom 2nd Chance Run event t-shirt; medal; race bib and *timing chip (*5k participants only); race swag bag and entry to our race village. LifeGift will promote our event on social media, sharing photos and comments of support to our donor families, transplant recipients and other members of our LifeGift community.
The Houston 2nd Chance Run is being sponsored by Houston Methodist, Organ Recovery Systems, LifeNet Health, Airspace, Community Tissue Services, Sallop Insurance, IRONMAN Foundation, Baylor St. Luke’s Medical Center, Children’s Transplant Initiative, Memorial Hermann, Xerox, Clayton Sparks Leaves His Mark, Donate Life Texas, Nora’s Home, Smilin’ Rylen Foundation, Taylor’s Gift, Uline, Houston Running Co., Suja, Telemundo Houston and honorary sponsor Art in the Heart.
Four years ago, Micheal Anthony Oviedo lost his life due to complications from a severe asthma attack. Micheal Anthony’s mother, Lori Rojas grieved the death of her 21-year-old son who was a registered donor. “It was a decision he made when he was just 15 years old when he obtained his driver’s license,” says Rojas. “He would have helped anyone; we’ve followed his lead and now our family are all registered donors.”
LifeGift was honored to facilitate Micheal’s desire to help others. He saved the lives of four patients through his selfless donation of his heart, liver, pancreas and two kidneys, restored sight to one individual through his eye donation and healed countless others through his tissue donation.
“The Houston 2nd Chance Run has symbolized hope for men, women and children who are waiting for life-saving organ, eye and tissue transplants in the greater Houston area,” says Kevin Myer, LifeGift president and CEO. “Each year, we’ve seen many new participants joining our 2nd Chance Run, demonstrating the community’s strong commitment and devotion to raise awareness of the need for organ and tissue donation registration.”
Be sure to join us on our Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram and X (formerly Twitter) pages as we honor online our donors, recipients and their families as well as educate on the importance of organ and tissue donor registration.
What: LifeGift’s 9th Annual Houston 2nd Chance Run
Who: Transplant recipients, donor family members, healthcare professionals, donation advocates and the entire community are invited to participate
When: Sunday, September 17, 2023 at 7:30 a.m.
Where: Minute Maid Park, 501 Crawford St., Houston, TX 77002
Website: Houston 2nd Chance Run
For more information and to register, please click here. For event sponsorship information, please contact Dagmar Climo at [email protected].
There are nearly 10,000 Texans in need of organ transplants. Register today to become an organ, eye or tissue donor by visiting DonateLifeTexas.org.