Event Description
Five years gone... Five lives saved through organ donation... A 5K in honor Jenny Eggers Attenasio, who we will always admire and forever miss.
On January 30, 2017, at age 37, Jenny delivered her first baby, a son with sparkly blue eyes, just like hers. She and her husband enjoyed only two hours with Teddy as a family of three. Then, Jenny tragically suffered a pulmonary embolism. Two days later she was declared brain dead and taken off life support. Because she was an organ donor, she saved five lives with vital organs (heart, lungs, liver and kidneys) and improved dozens of others though tissue donations. These recipients could not have changed her outcome, but she absolutely changed theirs.
Jenny was incredible in so many ways, and being a competitive athlete was one of her greatest strengths and loves. She was a high school varsity basketball player and track star, collegiate high jumper, and completed two ironman triathlons. Hosting a 5K race is a very appropriate way to celebrate her. She would want us to sweat and have fun doing it!
Although Jenny would absolutely try to beat us all, this race is much less about the miles and more about people who know and love her coming together in some way to think about her collectively at this five-year mark. It's also for people who may not know Jenny personally, but want to celebrate her life and the impact she has left.
Jenny is not here in the way we want, yet she lives on in the resilient people who are now thriving in thanks to her organ donations. She lives on in all of us who remember her. Jenny died exactly as she lived -- with generosity, selflessness and strength.
Proceeds for this race will be donated to LiveOnNY, the organization which facilitated her organ donation. Proceeds will also be shared with imentor New York, an organization where Jenny gifted much of her time supporting and navigating girls through high school and their transition to college.
We appreciate any financial support of these two organizations but please know that simply registering for the race is a gift itself. Even if you don't run / walk, by signing up you'll have access to this awesome community and help build awareness for an importance cause.
This is a virtual race but we encourage those who are near each other to run together. Wear orange (Jenny's favorite color) or check out official merchandise to sport Jenny's signature. We will be hosting an in-person race option for anyone local to the Bay Area, CA. More information on that soon.
Join us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JennysLegacy5K/ and Instagram: @jennylegacy5K
Thank you for joining this race in honor of Jenny!
Sincerely,
Michele
(Jenny's twin sister and much slower runner)
