CUMBERLAND COUNTY, Pa. — “This gear is not thin at all. It doesn’t breathe very well," said Christian Seymour, a lieutenant with the Lisburn Fire Company in Lower Allen Township, Cumberland County.
That’s not stopping Seymour from suiting up this Sunday.
And it’s not to fight a fire.
“This weekend is the 25th annual Donor Dash for Gift of Life Foundation and Donate Life," he said.
Instead Seymour is heading to Philadelphia to participate in the 3K walk.
It’s all in honor of his mother Lisa, who passed away suddenly last year.
“I have four younger sisters and we sat around a table for hours on end discussing what organs we would be okay with donating and what would be too much for us," said Seymour.
Through donating her organs, she was able to give the gift of life to five other people.
“Her lungs, her kidneys, her liver, her heart…all those things went to people who couldn’t live without getting those transplants," he explained.
Now Seymour -- who is also a veteran and studying to be an EMT -- is walking to thank his mom and others who make the choice to become organ donors, all while dressed in 75 pounds of firefighting gear.
“The gear is to symbolize the amount of weight people don’t have to carry anymore through organ donation because they were able to receive those transplants they needed to get a second chance," said Seymour. “This whole walk is to spread awareness and make sure people know organ donation does save lives, it does make a difference.”
To support Seymour's Donor Dash team, which is named Team Iris after his mom's favorite flower, you can visit this link.
To learn more about organ donations, you can visit the Gift of Life website.