Jeff muller

After battling autoimmune liver disease for 25 years, I went into liver failure and fortunately received a liver transplant at Henry Ford Hospital in July. Due to complications, I had to endure another transplant in September. I’m doing great today, in fact, the most common questions I’m asked are “How are you doing?” and “Are you back to 100%?” To which I reply a resounding “Yes!”

Thanks to two organ donors, I now get a second chance at life. I'm paying it forward by raising awareness for organ donation through my website HowtoSaveaLife.org and on October 15, I'll be running a portion of the Detroit International Half Marathon—a race within a race called the Ambassador Bridge Sunrise Run.

The idea for this “race within a race” came about when my nurse practitioner Karen Ostrowski introduced me to fellow runner and liver transplant recipient David Galbeski who came to visit me in the hospital after my first transplant. I thought my running days were over. I was so weak, that I could barely get out of bed, but as Dave looked out my window at the Detroit skyline, he said, "Jeff, do you see the Ambassador Bridge in the distance? Someday, we're going to run that bridge together. It’s actually part of the Detroit Half Marathon course." He may have well said that we will be walking on the moon. There was just no way.

After my second transplant, I set a goal to start running again, and in January I started physical therapy which included some light running. The following months I trained hard in order to be able to run the River Bank Run 5K in May.

Fast-forward to June 15, 2022. After seeing that I ran the River Bank Run 5K in May, Dave threw down a challenge. "Why wait, let's run the bridge together this year!" I responded that I could barely run a 5k, so there was no way I can run a half marathon in three months. "Guess where the 5k mark is in the half marathon course?" Dave quipped. "It's halfway across the Ambassador Bridge! Which means we CAN do it this year." So Karen, Dave and I committed to setting a goal that one day the three of us would run together over the Ambassador Bridge at sunrise to celebrate life as part of the Detroit Free Press International Half Marathon Race.

I am excited and blessed to be running the Ambassador Bridge Run with Dave and Karen. The thought of reaching the crest of the bridge and looking back at Henry Ford Hospital will be a defining moment in my transplant journey, and a powerful metaphor of my recovery.

But more importantly, our mission is to raise $1 for each person that is currently on the USA organ transplant waitlist ($103,506) so we can build awareness about the power, possibility and miracle of organ donation. Currently, over 7000 individuals in the US die every year waiting for an organ. This simply shouldn’t be.

The money I raise will be donated to Gift of Life Michigan which helps save and heal lives through assisting organ donor recipients and donor families, along with educational outreach. Education is so important as only 54% of people in the US are registered organ donors.

I need your help to achieve my individual goal of raising $2000 as I train for the Ambassador Bridge Sunrise Run.

You can pledge per mile, or make a one-time donation. I will continue to provide updates on my training and our fundraising as we build up to race day. You can also help spread awareness for organ donation by sharing my social media posts.

And finally, you can learn more about my journey at www.howtosavealife.org.

Thank you!