On Saturday, March 30, 2019, the Mania family will host the first annual Shore Sprint for Sam, a memorial 3K walk in honor of Sam Pesaresi, the organ donor whose gift of two lungs saved Mike Mania’s life.
Mike first learned that he needed a lung transplant in 2004, after a prolonged recovery from abdominal surgery complicated by an existing lung disease called sarcoidosis. This eventually led to the need for oxygen, followed by evaluation and listing for a double lung transplant on March 28, 2013 – the day Mike would later learn was the birthday of his organ donor Samantha “Sam” Pesaresi.
A Dry Run
On August 1, 2013, the family received a call that there was a match. They made their way to the hospital only to find it was a "dry run" — the lungs were not viable for transplantation, so the family returned home to continue the wait.
Shortly after that, Mike was hospitalized and admitted to Penn Medicine Rittenhouse, a long-term acute care center, because he required more oxygen than could be reliably delivered at home. The transplant team also wanted him to exercise with physical therapists every day to help him remain strong for the surgery. As each day passed, he became more ill.
Getting the Gift of Life
On September 7, 2013 at 3:11 in the morning, another call came. Mike received the gift of life that day, but complications led to an extended hospital stay. After months in the hospital, and many procedures, he decided to write his donor family. Each of Mike’s family members — his wife, daughter and son — also wrote a separate letter to express how grateful they were for that selfless act during the most tragic time in their family's life.
Through their correspondence, they learned that Mike’s donor, their daughter, Samantha (known lovingly as Sam), had passed away at the age of 23 from a brain aneurysm that ruptured while she was driving to a friend’s house on September 5, 2013. The family made the decision to donate their daughter's organs to help save the lives of people in dire need of a transplant.
Honoring Sam's Spirit
When the Manias learned that Sam loved the beach, they decided to sponsor a fundraising event in Sam’s honor near their home at the Seaside Heights Boardwalk. Registration for the Sprint for Sam will take place on Saturday, March 30 at 10:00 am, and the walk will begin at the Carteret Ave Stage at 11:00 am.
All proceeds from the event will support Sam’s Spirit for Organ Donor Awareness, a nonprofit organization founded to raise awareness of the importance of organ donation and to keep alive the spirit of Sam Pesaresi through donor awareness programs at the Gift of Life Donor Program, scholarships and support for brain aneurysm research.
Sign up for the event, donate or buy a shirt