David Galbenski

On November 25, 2019, at Henry Ford Health in Detroit, Michigan, I received a second chance at life when my brother-in-law, Mark Dybis, became my living liver donor, my angel on earth and a true hero.

I am a of his amazing gift of life as it allows me to continue to share special moments with family and friends alike while resuming activities that I am passionate about, including running and competing in the Transplant Games of America.

Since my transplant, I have made it my mission to pay the gift of life forward by co-founding the Living Liver Foundation with my wife, Lynn, to increase awareness about living organ donation.

We have focused on honoring living donors, educating the public on the regenerative ability of the liver and inspiring others to consider becoming living donors.

We have held multiple Living Donor Awareness Baseball Games at Jimmy John's Field in Michigan as well as at Major League Baseball Games, including the Atlanta Braves and Cincinnati Reds.

We have shared our transplant story as part of the Henry Ford Health "I am Henry" campaign with the Detroit Lions.

We secured designation of April 11 as National Living Donor Day to amplify the stories across the nation of living donors who have displayed courage and compassion to save the lives of others.

We are advancing living donor protection laws in the State of Michigan, including SB 384, which prohibits insurance companies from raising premiums or denying coverage based upon an individual becoming a living donor. It recently passed the Michigan Senate getting it one step closer to being signed into law by the Governor.

We are now turning our attention to encouraging transplant patients that After Recovery Walking And Running (ARWAR) is imperative through launching A Race Within A Race (also ARWAR) movement.

It all started when a shared passion for running moved Karen Ostrowski, an amazing Henry Ford Health transplant professional, to introduce me to a fellow liver transplant recipient, Jeff Muller.

During our respective transplant journeys, Jeff and I saw the Ambassador Bridge in the distance from our hospital rooms at Henry Ford Hospital. As I visited Jeff while he recovered from his two transplant surgeries, I shared my story about getting back to full health and resuming my passion for running. The more we talked, the more we were 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.

To turn that vision into reality this year, we approached it with an entrepreneurial mindset. As Jeff and Karen returned to running 5k races in 2023, we hatched a plan to create a personalized 5k race course within the International Half Marathon course. As luck would have it, the 5k finish line is on the Ambassador Bridge, right where the sun rises over the Detroit River. So, the Race Within A Race series will debut in Detroit on October 15, 2023 with the inaugural Ambassador Bridge Sunrise 5k.

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.

I need your help to achieve my individual goal of raising $50,000 as I train for the Ambassador Bridge Sunrise 5k and subsequent completion of the International Half Marathon. I can't wait to feel the energy and emotion when Jeff, Karen and I cross the 5k finish line hand in hand, just as we envisioned from our rooms at Henry Ford Hospital.

You can pledge per mile, make a one-time donation and/or join us in our fundraising initiative by training with us individually or as part of a state or corporate team.

Funds raised will benefit the Living Liver Foundation, Gift of Life Michigan, Henry Ford Health Center for Living Donation and other transplant organizations designated by teams.