Ossining's Unstoppable Mary Wu

Ossining's Mary Wu doesn't let anything stand in her way. She is a force to be reckoned with when it comes to her work with organ donation and transplant organizations. She is currently training for the 2012 Transplant Games of America where she will be taking part in the swim competition. Wu just finished working on a Flood Sisters Kidney Foundation of America fundraiser on Valentine's Day. A month earlier, she represented her cause during this year's Rose Parade by riding on a float representing the University Kidney Research Organization. The nonprofit group supports research for the prevention, treatment and eradication of all forms of kidney disease.

Wu has received two kidney transplants in her lifetime. The first was at the age of three when she was diagnosed with kidney failure. After her diagnosis she had to undergo more than a year of dialysis before she finally received her first transplant at the age of four. Throughout her childhood Wu had to deal with a number of health problems that were caused by the medication that she had to take to avoid organ rejection.

At the age of 11 her first transplanted kidney began to fail. Wu was once again getting ready to undergo dialysis when a donated kidney became available. The organ was donated by parents who had just lost their four-year-old daughter.

Now Wu is a fierce advocate for organ donation and research. “Research is hugely important. I owe so much to my organ donors and their families—in every article I write, every registry drive I advocate for, and every event where I speak publicly about my life story, they’re there with me. But I also look forward to the day when advances in research can make organ donation a thing of the past.”

Wu is continually looking for opportunities to champion her cause, whether it's the Flood Sisters Kidney Foundation of America or the University Kidney Research Organization that sponsored Wu in this year's Rose Parade. “This is the first time UKRO has sponsored a float rider in the parade and we couldn’t be happier about bringing Mary Wu out from New York to represent us,” said Ken Kleinberg, President of UKRO. “We support organ donation wholeheartedly, but as Mary herself well knows, there will never be enough donors. For kidney disease, intensive research is the only way to ultimately make the need for transplants obsolete, and raising funds for that research is UKRO’s sole mission.”

If you'd like to learn more about the University Kidney Research Organization click here. You can also call UKRO at 310-286-6479 or email them at info@ukrocharity.org. Click on this link to donate to The Flood Sisters Kidney Foundation.

For the latest updates on Mary Wu and her work just type in her name on OssiningPatch.com.