From WDIO-TV • June 17, 2022

A liver transplant means Julianne Vasichek is ready to rock Grandma's Marathon. "I'm pumped up," she told us.  The head coach for the women's hockey team at St. Scholastica, Vasichek herself has quite the sporting history, helping the Lady Bulldogs bring home two championships.

When she wasn't on the ice this spring, she fit in a few training runs. "During my long runs, it's hard not to get choked up," she said. "When you're an athlete in a tough circumstance, you refer back to the hard things you've done. And I think about my first day in the ICU, and I walked about 10 feet. It was a struggle. And that was all I could walk."

That was when she was fighting a rare liver condition. A transplant at Mayo Clinic in 2015 gave her a second chance. She'll be wearing a Donate Life shirt during the race, to raise awareness.

"I'm an ambassador for LifeSource, our organ procurement organization. I tell my story. And I got this shirt, which I think is really cool. I'm proud to be a recipient, and I want to share my story so more people become organ donors," she said.

One of the transplant team members, Dr. Doug Simonetto, will be running the race as well. "I know this is special for the transplant team," she said. They pln on taking a picture at the beginning of the race and at the finish line.

Her goal is to finish, and have fun of course. "That's why this marathon is so special. I know everyone runs the marathon for a reason. It's an honor to be part of the biggest event in Duluth," Vasichek said.

For more info about organ donation, head to https://www.donatelife.net/

To see the original report and read related stories, follow this link to the WDIO-TV website.