LifeGift’s Houston 2nd Chance Run: Celebrating Hope and Honoring the Gift of Life
September 8, 2025Local Family to Participate Honoring Donor for Life-Restoring Kidney Transplant
LifeGift’s 2nd Chance Run (5K/1mile walk or run) honors organ, eye and tissue donors in 109 Texas counties in North, Southeast and West Texas. The Houston 2nd Chance Run will take place on Saturday, September 13th, at 7:00 a.m. at MacGregor Park, situated along beautiful Brays Bayou. LifeGift invites you to spend a morning celebrating the gift of life. The 2nd Chance Run is a timed event; you can run or walk 1 mile or 3.1 miles (5k) at MacGregor Park or participate virtually! For more information and to register, please click here.
All registered participants in the 2nd Chance Run will receive a custom event t-shirt, medal, race bib and a timing chip (for 5k participants only), along with a race swag bag and entry to our race village. LifeGift will promote the event on social media, sharing photos and messages of support for donor families, transplant recipients and other members of our community. Additionally, the largest family and hospital teams will be awarded the Largest Team trophy.
Some exciting things in store this year – a drum line performance, stilt walkers, line-dancing, face painting, an interactive photo booth, a food truck and so much more. This is a pet-friendly event, so dogs on a leash can join in the fun!
At just 34 years old, Daniel “Danny” Medrano’s life changed drastically when a foot infection led to acute kidney failure. Years of dialysis, pain and limitations followed, but hope arrived in August 2019 when his wife’s cousin, Bianca, revealed she would be his living kidney donor. On his wife’s birthday, she gave Danny the greatest gift of all—a second chance at life. Danny says the transplant transformed everything, restoring his energy and freeing him from dialysis. He lovingly calls his kidney “Little Bibi,” a daily reminder of Bianca’s generosity and the faith that carried him through.
Danny shares deep gratitude for Bianca’s life-saving gift and the renewed future it gave him. He emphasizes that choosing to be an organ donor is one of the most powerful acts of love—one that can save lives, just as Bianca saved his. With heartfelt appreciation, Danny continues to honor her gift by encouraging others to consider the same selfless decision. We’re proud to announce that Danny Medrano and his wife Suelen will also volunteer at this year’s event and will be available for in-person interviews.
“The Houston 2nd Chance Run represents the gift of life for the men, women and children still waiting for organ, eye and tissue transplants in our community,” says Kevin Myer, LifeGift president and CEO. “Each year, more people join us at this event, showing the powerful dedication of Houstonians to support donation, honor donor heroes and help save lives through organ and tissue donor registration.”
The Houston 2nd Chance Run is being generously sponsored by Baylor St. Luke’s Medical Center, Global Transplant Solutions, Houston Methodist J.C. Walter Jr. Transplant Center, Enterprise, King & Spalding, Organ Recovery Systems, AIRSPACE, Bridge to Life, ENG Organ Recovery, LifeNet Health, The Living Bank, Memorial Hermann Transplant Institute, Sallop, Children’s Transplant Initiative, The Morales Memorial Foundation, Solvita, Clayton Sparks Leaves His Mark and Paragonix.
Be sure to join us on our Facebook, LinkedIn and Instagram pages as we honor online our donors, recipients and their families as well as educate on the importance of organ and tissue donor registration.
What: LifeGift’s 11th Annual Houston 2nd Chance Run
Who: Transplant recipients, donor family members, healthcare professionals, donation advocates and the entire community are invited to participate
When: Saturday, September 13, 2025 at 7:00 a.m.
Where: MacGregor Park, 5225 Calhoun Rd., Houston, TX 77021
Website: Houston 2nd Chance Run
Danny Medrano and his wife, Suelen, will attend the event and will be available for interviews with the media. For more information and to register, please click here. For onsite media event support, please contact Dagmar Hohnstein at dclimo@lifegift.org, 713.505.6871. There are more than 10,000 Texans in need of organ transplants. Register today to become an organ, eye or tissue donor by visiting DonateLifeTexas.org.