I Gave My Kidney to My Mom. I’ve Run 100 Miles on One.

My name is Mannie Zubia. I’m an Army veteran, a husband, a father of two boys and in 2016, I donated my kidney to save my mom’s life.

At the time, I didn’t know what life would look like after surgery. People warned me I might never be the same. That I might have to take it easy. That giving away a part of myself might hold me back.

But I didn’t donate to play it safe.

And I sure as hell didn’t stop living.

Since then, I’ve run multiple marathons and completed four 100-mile ultramarathons including some of the toughest in the country. I’ve run through the night, over mountains, through pain, doubt, and fatigue. I even broke 20 hours in a 100-miler  something most runners will never do, even with two kidneys.

And I do it for more than medals or finish lines.

I run to show what’s possible  to prove that donating a kidney doesn’t have to end your story. It can be the beginning of a bigger one.

I run for the National Kidney Foundation, an organization that’s been fighting for patients, donors, and families for decades. They helped turn kidney disease from a silent killer into a treatable condition. They created the stage system doctors still use today. And they’re not done fighting.

So when I run ,when I suffer, sweat, and push it’s not just for me.

It’s for my mom.

It’s for the 37 million Americans living with kidney disease.

It’s for the people waiting for a transplant, and for the ones brave enough to give.

I’m asking for your support whether it’s a donation, a share, or simply believing in this cause. Every dollar helps NKF keep doing the work that gave my family more time, and gave me the chance to give back.

I gave away a kidney. And I gained a mission.

Let’s keep running with it.

Mannie Zubia