A former University of South Florida football player has said a potential living kidney donor for his father has emerged after almost two months of daily runs aimed at finding a match.
Christian Helms began his “Running Until My Dad Gets a Kidney” challenge on 6 August, promising to complete at least one mile every day until his father, Chris, receives a transplant.
His latest update came on 29 September, the 55th day of the challenge, when he revealed that a potential donor had been tested through Tampa General Hospital’s living donor programme.
“Today a living donor was tested for my dad and it went about as well as you could have hoped for,” Helms said.
Daily runs highlight father’s struggle
Chris Helms has been living with kidney failure for five years. The family had previously identified a living donor, but that person was later unable to proceed, leaving them searching again.
Christian said his daily runs were intended to reflect the challenge his father faces each day while dealing with the illness.
“I’m going to do something hard every day because my Dad does something hard every day too,” he said in an earlier update.
Helms later explained that he had been assessed as a possible donor himself but was ruled out at an early stage because of blood type and antigen differences. His brother progressed further through testing before doctors concluded that he was not a compatible match.
Another potential donor was subsequently found to be medically ineligible, prompting Helms to turn to social media in the hope that his videos would reach someone willing to come forward.
He has said that people across the Tampa Bay area have since registered to be screened after seeing the videos.
Potential kidney donor still faces further tests
Although the latest assessment has given the family fresh hope, Helms stressed that a transplant has not yet been confirmed.
“Still got a long way to go. Gotta go through a couple more tests to make sure, but things are looking extremely positive,” he said.
The potential donor must complete further medical evaluations before doctors can decide whether the transplant can go ahead.
Helms thanked supporters for sharing the family’s story and for sending messages of encouragement, adding: “Thank you everyone for the love, the support, the prayers. Keep sending the prayers up.”
More than 100,000 people in the United States are waiting for a kidney transplant, while about 17,000 kidney transplants are carried out each year, according to the National Kidney Foundation.
Until a final decision is made, Helms says he will continue running at least one mile every day, keeping the promise he made at the beginning of the challenge.
