Every mile of the Boston Marathon means something different to every runner. In the week leading up to Marathon Monday, we’re asking: What’s behind your 26.2-mile trek?
For Kortney Hixson, it’s her mom.
One year ago, her mother, Maribeth Finn, went to the hospital for what she thought was a routine issue, but ended up in kidney failure. Maribeth spent days in the ICU and months on dialysis before her daughter turned out to be a match. Kortney donated her kidney, and now, one year later, she’s running the Boston Marathon, with her mom cheering her on from the sidelines.
Kortney and Maribeth joined GBH’s All Things Considered host Arun Rath to share more about their story for this installment of “Why I Run.” What follows is a lightly edited transcript of their conversation.
Arun Rath: Maribeth, let’s start with you. Take us back to when this started, when you first realized that something was wrong, but perhaps not how wrong it was. How quickly did things change for you?
Maribeth Finn: Well, it was probably two years ago. I was visiting my mom, and all of a sudden, just out of the blue, I did not feel good. I went home. That was a Tuesday. I got into bed, and I probably didn’t get out of bed until Friday, and I couldn’t hold anything down. I just didn’t feel good; I was tired all the time, which is not me. I am constantly on the go, moving all the time.
And then, it was my daughters who finally said to me on Saturday, “You’re going to the hospital, because this is not you.”
Kortney Hixson: To echo what my mom said, it’s very unlike her to be down for the count. Obviously, your first instinct isn’t that it’s something as serious as this; we thought maybe she had the flu or COVID or some kind of viral infection. When it persisted for several days, and seeing the amount that she was starting to decline, we said, “That’s it. You’re going to the hospital.”
We took her to the emergency room at our local hospital. While she was in the ER, they were able to say it had something to do with her kidneys, and it was so bad that they had to transport her to UMass [Memorial Medical Center] in Worcester, which is a bigger hospital. She went into the ICU and was in the ICU for several days. They actually told us that had we waited any longer, Mom probably wouldn’t be with us.
So, there’s the positive side of it, that we felt relief that we had listened to our instincts and brought her into the hospital when we did. But obviously, also, the start of the realization that we came so close to losing her completely. Mom’s kind of the quintessential matriarch of our family; she’s the thread that holds my sister and [me] together, and we’re grateful that we got her treatment started.
But not too long after that, unfortunately, through some of the testing and the initial dialysis sessions, they were able to determine that it was chronic kidney failure.
Rath: Wow. That is just terrifying. Kortney, at what point did you raise your hand and say, “Let’s see if I’m a match?”
Hixson: Yeah, that’s a great question. When I originally got my license at 16, I signed up to be an organ donor. You don’t really — especially at 16 — fully know what that means to check that [box]. You know, I just want to help people. That’s kind of just baked into my DNA, but I get it from my mom, too, because my mom’s the same way. So, it’s always been something that I’ve thought about.
But obviously, seeing my mom go through what she went through, I kind of had an incredible opportunity to donate to somebody who I love more than anything. You know, it’s so scary to see what she went through, and then, it’s also tough seeing your mom at such a young age go on dialysis, because, unfortunately, it’s a huge commitment to be going to dialysis sessions three times a week. If you want to travel, you have to make sure you have dialysis covered where you’re going.
It definitely places some limitations on your freedom and flexibility to do things. I hated to see that for my mom because, as she mentioned earlier, she’s always been somebody that’s active and on the go. I didn’t want her to see some sort of element of her life limited because she had to be on dialysis. So, for as close as my mom and I are, it kind of almost wasn’t a question. I wanted to pursue getting tested and dealing with the reality that, hey, maybe I’m not going to be a match, and I have to be able to cope with that. But, fortunately, it worked out in our favor, and I never really looked back after that.
Rath: Maribeth, you sound strong. It sounds like that kidney is working pretty well for you. Tell us about the emotional side of that. I just can’t imagine this.
Finn: When Kortney first wanted to donate to me, I, of course, said to her, “No, absolutely not. You are way too young.” That’s just how I felt; I didn’t want to take anything away from her. But she was persistent and really wanted to do this.
I am so grateful every day — every day that I wake up — because it means the world to me. I can never repay her. I am just so grateful for what she did.
Rath: Kortney, I’m curious about the process with you. Obviously, you’re a serious athlete if you’re running a marathon. What is recovery like after making the donation, and how did you get back into shape? What was that like?
Hixson: You know, it’s funny because, obviously, going into the surgery, I tried to make sure that I was in as best possible shape as I could be, because they tell you that the more active you are before, it’s a little bit easier for your recovery. I’ve always tried to stay healthy and stay in shape.
But after the fact, having surgery, you have to make sure you’re not lifting too much so that you don’t run the risk of getting a hernia or hurting yourself more and further delaying the recovery process. I think the mental aspect of the recovery was a little bit more challenging than the physical one was.
Luckily for me, a few months after [the surgery], I started to slowly get back into my normal routine. After that, once I felt better and I was cleared, I just jumped back in, which is awesome.
Rath: Maribeth, how excited are you? What’s going to be going through your head when you’re at the race?
Finn: I will be very excited. The whole experience was a learning experience for me, and I’m just grateful that she’s doing it. It’s very special to me. It’s very, very special.
Rath: Kortney, for people who haven’t considered organ donation, what do you think they should know?
Hixson: I think one of the most eye-opening experiences for me was really just how prevalent organ donation stories are, and how many people are really in need. Just in terms of the folks that you can reach through organ donation is super widespread. I also love hearing the stories of folks who donate to complete strangers, because that’s kind of the epitome of selfless, because you’re giving a piece of your body to somebody else.
The medical professionals who help get you through the surgery are really incredible people, and they’re doing incredible work and really saving a lot of lives.
Finn: I just want to say, when you’re in a [dialysis] room three times a week, you get to talk to the person that’s across from you, and you get to hear the stories of why they’re there. There are so many good people out there that one week, you’re in dialysis, and maybe the following week, they never return, and it’s because they’ve passed away. I’ve met so many people, and it’s too bad that everybody can’t get help and have the outcome that I had.
Hixson: It just highlights the need for more donations.
