Multiple Organ Donor, Harry Kiernan, To Walk Across America To Raise Awareness

Two-time organ donor walks across America: wtnh.com

Two-time organ donor, Harry Kiernan, is walking 3,300 miles across America to encourage more people to sign up as organ donors, WTNH reports.

Last year, Kiernan, 57, made headlines when he became one of a very small handful of living people to have donated multiple organs. Thus far, he has donated one kidney and part of his liver -- and he is currently on the list to become a bone marrow donor, Takeaway.org reports. Incredibly, both recipients of his organs -- one of whom was a 13-month-old girl -- were complete strangers.

Now as the Executive Director of the National Living Organ Donors Foundation, Kiernan is gearing up to walk from Connecticut to California to raise awareness and inspire others to become organ donors.

"If you have the ability to change someone's life, to make it better in whatever way possible, then you have the responsibility to do that," Kiernan said.

Eileen Branciforte, the recipient of Kiernan's kidney, would undoubtedly agree.

"You just get your life back," she said of getting a kidney transplant.

According to WTNH, Kiernan will start walking on March 18th and expects to arrive in Los Angeles the first week of July.