STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- The second annual 5K run honoring Victoria McDonnell, whose final “heroic act” saved the lives of three people, will kick off Sunday morning at Clove Lakes Park.
The event will take place at 9:30 a.m. with a brief ceremony, and then officially kick off at 10 a.m., at the entrance of Clove Lakes Park near the main parking lot.
Victoria, a Staten Island native who died unexpectedly from a rare brain aneurism in Feb. 2019, was an organ donor.
Her father, Michael McDonnell, a retired NYPD detective, started the walk to keep Victoria’s legacy prospering.
“We want to do this every year,” said McDonnell. “It’s to keep her memory alive, but also to bring awareness of donation and the importance of being an organ donor. I know for myself, when I found out she was an organ donor, it was a lifeline for me, to see her helping other people and it helped with my own grief. And you know, we have so many people among us who are waiting for organs, so it is just so important to bring awareness to the cause.”
The event supported by LiveOnNY, a non-profit centered on increasing the number of lives saved by organ donation — will honor her life and encourage others to be organ donors. All proceeds will go to the foundation.
Victoria McDonnell went to Richmond University Medical Center in West Brighton in late February three years ago, the Staten Island Advance/SILive.com reported. Her condition rapidly deteriorated, and she died two days later after suffering from what her surgeon believed was a rare condition involving tangled blood vessels in the brain.
Amid the devastation, her father recalled when it became clear she would be able to save others.
“There was a pivotal moment in the hospital when we realized Victoria was a registered organ donor, and it really gave me a lot of strength and comfort that she was able to save others,” Michael McDonnell told the Advance. “It helps the recipients, but it also helps the family of the donor.”
Victoria McDonnell’s liver and one kidney went to a 53-year-old man, her left lung to a 72-year-old and her other kidney was a match for her brother’s friend who was on dialysis at the time.
In the wake of her death, McDonnell ran the 2019 NYC Marathon to raise money for organ donation awareness and is readying for his second race this fall.
The event also serves as a “warm” for McDonnell, as he runs his third New York City Marathon in honor of his late daughter.
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