March 23rd update-USC Keck

Well before the March 19th start of TOT 4.0, I began calling the National Kidney Registry (NKR.org) affiliated transplant hospitals along my intended route.

When I made contact at USC Keck, Ernie Villalon wasn’t who I initially spoke to, but soon we began planning an event at USC Keck.

Ernie is a Living Donor Transplant Coordinator and an avid cyclist so we wanted to ride together.

We figured out a way to make it work for March 23rd. Ernie met me at Suzanne Verge’s house and we rode the 20 miles to the Keck campus, taking us through downtown Los Angeles.

Ernie was a great guide and I had fun taking in the sites he pointed out.

Once we arrived on campus we proceeded to interview for local TV.

I also got to meet many people that came to say hi and wish Lynn and I all the best on the ride.

On such person was a surgeon that had did his residency in Madison and knows the surgeon that performed my donation surgery.

We also met Terry Hutton, a man looking for a life saving kidney and registered at USC Keck.

Terry has a micros-site and you can learn more about his situation here.