Man needing double lung transplant finishes 5K in Katy
KATY, TX (KTRK) -- Hundreds of elite athletes competed in the inaugural Katy Half Marathon this past Saturday.
But the runner we want to introduce you to would barely be considered a runner. He's nowhere near the front of the pack. In fact, the sun was up by the time he even made it on the course.
"God has a plan and a time and whenever that is, I'm ready," said Bobby Bolin.
Bolin was diagnosed with a rare auto-immune disease more than twenty years ago. Today, he needs oxygen for almost everything and is going on his tenth month waiting for a double lung transplant.
"I've had a lot of people say, 'You went in knowing that you were going to face this," Bobby's wife, Amy Bolin. "I mean, why would you do this?' I said, 'Why wouldn't I?' I mean, he's had my heart since I was fifteen."
Bobby and Amy got married just two years ago. Their kids came with them.
"I mean, they can do things by themselves," said Amy's daughter, Gracilynn. "It's just not as good as when they're doing them together,"
It's Gracilynn who now walks with Bobby, encouraging him to keep
going, even when his portable oxygen tank feels like it's getting
heavier by the moment.
"No matter how many times we say it, I don't think we can overestimate how important it is to donate organs," said Bobby's physician at St. Luke's, Dr. Amit Parulekar. "Even though a lot of people donate organs now, we still have people who die waiting for transplants."
In case you were wondering, Bobby finished the 5K, tired, but alive, and filled with love.
"Her and those kids are the reason that it's not hard to get up every
day and walk to it and go through it," he said.
For more information on organ donation, visit DonateLife.net or
