Rebekah Ceidro was scrolling through Facebook last July when she saw a post by longtime co-worker and friend, Chris Moore, saying he needed a new kidney. He had been diagnosed with chronic kidney disease just seven months earlier. And knowing he was a very private person who normally wouldn’t post much about his personal life on social media, she knew he had to be desperate.  

The post was shared by dozens of mutual friends to help spread the word, but what Moore needed was immediate action. Ceidro recognized that, and put an offer on the table that would change both of their lives. 

“I immediately thought, ‘Okay, what can I do?’” the 33-year-old told Runner's World by phone. “His doctors were giving him six months to a year, and I would hope that if I were in the same situation, someone would do it for me."

Moore, 30, was stunned.

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“He could barely finish reading my message before he burst into tears,” Ceidro said. “He couldn’t believe someone would do that for him.”

The next step was for Ceidro to meet with Moore’s doctors at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC), just minutes away from her home, to make sure she was a good donor candidate. There, they did a day’s worth of testing to make sure her blood type matched, her family history was clean, and most importantly, to make sure she knew what she was getting herself into. 

“I was only thinking of Chris—how I could save his life—but the surgeons told me I had to think of myself too. This wouldn’t only affect me now, but 20 or 30 years down the line.”

Part of this forward thinking had to do with her current weight. At 218 pounds, the doctors worried her health would start to decline. There is also an increased risk of complications during surgery for anyone over 200 pounds. These weren’t risks the doctors were willing to take, so Ceidro was faced with a decision: lose the weight or be unable to help out a friend in need. 

“They pretty much told me point blank that I needed to lose weight if I was serious about donating my kidney,” she said. “I had a really girly moment of, ‘Wow, that was hurtful.’ Was I really too fat to save someone’s life? It felt like they were challenging my decision, so I looked at them and said, ‘I’ll do it. I’ll lose the weight.’”

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Above, see what inspired others to lose weight. 

Eat ’n Park, the restaurant where Ceidro works as a manager, was holding a 5K two weeks later. She thought it would be the perfect opportunity to start her weight loss journey. It was at that race she ran her first mile. 

“Those three miles were way harder than I thought they’d be, and I realized I was more out of shape than I thought I was,” Ceidro said. “I vowed to keep running until I could do a 5K every day.” 

She downloaded a couch-to-5K app, and with her 3-year-old and his stroller in tow, she got to work. 

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“I woke up every day to do this because it was something I had to do for Chris. If he could wake up and survive, I could stop being lazy and wake up to run.”

In February 2017, she saw a Facebook post promoting UPMC Health Plan's "What a Runner Looks Like" social media campaign that caught her eye. She filled out the online form and learned her story would be featured in the local news. 

It was then that she really began to see herself as a runner. So she signed up for the UPMC Health Plan Pittsburgh Half Marathon the hospital was sponsoring.

“I had to kick everything up a notch,” Ceidro said of her half marathon training. 

She ran between 3.5 and six miles, six days a week and included weight training, lunges, squats, and burpees in her routine as well. All Ceidro’s hard work paid off. 

Rebekah Ceidro training
Rebekah Ceidro

On May 7, she crossed the finish line of the Pittsburgh Half Marathon in 3:14:13. The first 10 miles she said were for Moore, and the last 3.1 were for her.

“It was the hardest thing I think I’ve ever done, but when I made it to 13.1 miles, everything just disappeared,” she said. “It was just me achieving a goal that, nine months before, I never would have imagined for myself.”

And although Ceidro technically only needed to lose 18 pounds to be able to donate her kidney, she is now down 38 pounds and doesn’t plan on stopping anytime soon. She plans on doing an obstacle race or two this summer, and is setting her sights on next year’s Pittsburgh Marathon.

“I’ve made a life change, and there’s no going back. Now that I know what I’m capable of, there’s nothing I can’t do.” 

Ceidro finishes the race
Rebekah Ceidro
Ceidro with a look of relief after her first half marathon.

Moore’s next doctor’s appointment is in August, and between now and then, details of the transplant operation will be finalized. 

“I know he must be scared. Truthfully I’m scared, too. But we will be each other’s strength.” 

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Danielle Zickl
Senior Editor
Danielle Zickl for Runner's World and Bicycling.