http://www2.scnow.com/news/grand-strand/2011/feb/18/marathon-runner-remembers-his-daughter-race-nears-ar-1481902/
On the outside he's a well trained marathon runner but on the inside is where Kevin Shroyer draws motivation to run races like this weekend’s.
In 1987 Kevin and his wife welcome their first born into the world - a bright eyed baby named Korinne.
“She was rambunctious, bubbly happy," Kevin said.
Korinne did well in school, had tons of friends, and was the goalie of her soccer team.
One day in 2002, she came to her parents with some concerns.
“Korinne came to her mother and I and said that she's been going through some mood swings and she would feel happy one day, sad the next day, kind of back and forth,” Kevin said.
Korinne began seeing a counselor and was recommended by a doctor to go on Paxil - an anti-depressant.
Ten days later the teen did the unexpected.
“I picked her up from school, brought her home, dropped her off and returned to work, and about an hour after that occurred she shot herself,” said Kevin.
Korinne died one week later, but in that week her parents decided to make her an organ donor. The very night of her death she saved another man's life - a man that she'd never even met.
Len Geiger was an athlete himself at one time.
Len was battling a rare and a potentially life threatening lung disease called Alpha 1.
After a successful lung transplant, Len took his first breaths with his new lungs.
“I think he's described it many ways, but it was almost like being born again,” said Kevin.
A year after the transplant Geiger and Shroyer met for the first time, and several months after that, the athlete with new lungs and the dad whose daughter provided them ran their first marathon together.
“It was emotional because I realized, you can't help but realize that this man is living and breathing and standing here beside me and we're doing a marathon together, and he's doing it all because of Korinne's lung donation to him,” said Kevin.
Hip problems prevent Geiger from running much now, but Kevin still runs marathons.
The Myrtle Beach race will be his 16th.
“Every race I run is in her memory, and the marathon, obviously being the ultimate race there is, road race there is, I can't think of any better race, any better distance to run in order to honor her memory than the marathon,” said Kevin.
Shroyer represents an organization called “Donate Life.”
The organ donation group has a website where you can donate to help them work to save lives like Len Geiger's.
On the outside he's a well trained marathon runner but on the inside is where Kevin Shroyer draws motivation to run races like this weekend’s.
In 1987 Kevin and his wife welcome their first born into the world - a bright eyed baby named Korinne.
“She was rambunctious, bubbly happy," Kevin said.
Korinne did well in school, had tons of friends, and was the goalie of her soccer team.
One day in 2002, she came to her parents with some concerns.
“Korinne came to her mother and I and said that she's been going through some mood swings and she would feel happy one day, sad the next day, kind of back and forth,” Kevin said.
Korinne began seeing a counselor and was recommended by a doctor to go on Paxil - an anti-depressant.
Ten days later the teen did the unexpected.
“I picked her up from school, brought her home, dropped her off and returned to work, and about an hour after that occurred she shot herself,” said Kevin.
Korinne died one week later, but in that week her parents decided to make her an organ donor. The very night of her death she saved another man's life - a man that she'd never even met.
Len Geiger was an athlete himself at one time.
Len was battling a rare and a potentially life threatening lung disease called Alpha 1.
After a successful lung transplant, Len took his first breaths with his new lungs.
“I think he's described it many ways, but it was almost like being born again,” said Kevin.
A year after the transplant Geiger and Shroyer met for the first time, and several months after that, the athlete with new lungs and the dad whose daughter provided them ran their first marathon together.
“It was emotional because I realized, you can't help but realize that this man is living and breathing and standing here beside me and we're doing a marathon together, and he's doing it all because of Korinne's lung donation to him,” said Kevin.
Hip problems prevent Geiger from running much now, but Kevin still runs marathons.
The Myrtle Beach race will be his 16th.
“Every race I run is in her memory, and the marathon, obviously being the ultimate race there is, road race there is, I can't think of any better race, any better distance to run in order to honor her memory than the marathon,” said Kevin.
Shroyer represents an organization called “Donate Life.”
The organ donation group has a website where you can donate to help them work to save lives like Len Geiger's.
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