By creator to www.news5cleveland.com
AKRON, Ohio — Angela Hissner has run three marathons, however her fourth 26.2-mile trek would be the most significant for each her and her father, Dan Datkuliak.
On Saturday morning, Hissner, 41, will lace up her sneakers and run the Akron Marathon, six months after she donated a kidney to her dad.
Bob Jones | Information 5
“I’ve by no means been extra excited for a race. This implies a lot to me this 12 months,” Hissner stated.
The bond between Hissner, a nurse practitioner from Plain Township, and Datkuliak, a retired Timken Steelworker, was already particular earlier than the transplant surgical procedure.
“He is my hero,” Hissner stated. “I really like him. He raised me to be the particular person I’m.”
Trying again, Datuliak believes his daughter was certain to be particular from start.
“The day she was born I stated, ‘We simply bought an angel’, and we named her Angela,” he stated.
Datkuliak, 69, was coping with persistent kidney illness, presumably attributable to hypertension, and dialysis appeared to be in his close to future.
“His kidney operate was at 15%, in order that’s end-stage renal failure,” Hissner stated.
Docs steered a kidney transplant and Hissner rapidly determined she wished to be a donor. Final 12 months, she was discovered to be a match.
“I wished to present him a kidney if I may. I discovered I may,” she stated.
Datkuliak was touched by the selfless supply by his daughter however was reluctant to take her kidney.
“I did not need to take her kidney. I used to be afraid — what if one thing occurs to her different kidney? She insisted that is what we will do,” he stated.
The surgical procedure was scheduled for March of 2021. Hissner admitted she was nervous, not sure of how the surgical procedure would influence her running– one thing she likes to do for the pure adrenaline rush and to scale back stress.
“I assumed, ‘Am I nonetheless going to be the identical particular person? Am I going to alter? Will I nonetheless have the ability to run?’ I bought a bit of egocentric for a minute,” Hissner stated.
The transplant was carried out on March 30 on the Cleveland Clinic and it was a hit.
“The surgical procedure went nice. I bought out of surgical procedure and it was form of like a marathon. Once you get accomplished you are like, ‘I simply did that,'” Hissner stated.
“I used to be sore, however we had been within the hospital three days. That was it,” Datkuliak added.
A month after the transplant, Hissner signed up for the Akron Marathon. She has put in a number of lengthy runs and feels able to sort out the race’s well-known blue line.
The FirstEngergy Akron Marthon, Half Marathon and Group Relay will see greater than 7,000 contributors. It begins at 7 a.m. on Broadway Avenue close to Market Avenue. The course highlights North Hill, the College of Akron, Firestone Park, the Ohio Erie Canalway Towpath Path, Sand Run Metro Park and West Akron.
Hissner is just not solely working for herself and her dad. She’s additionally raising money for Kidney Donor Athletes, a corporation that helps donors and creates organ donation consciousness.
Thus far, she has raised greater than $3,700 of her $5,000 purpose.
“There are such a lot of individuals on the market that want a liver, a kidney, something, and the ready checklist is so lengthy,” Hissner stated. “I am not saying everybody must be a dwelling donor as a result of that is an enormous, large choice however put it in your license.”
Datkuliak believes “his angel” saved his life and on marathon day — a real check of endurance — the bond between dad and daughter will endure.
“I’ll undoubtedly be on the marathon,” he stated. “I will be the loudest cheerer there.”
