Marathon Team Helping Liver Transplant Boy

One hundred runners are out to raise money for a sick child.

In this year’s Flying Pig Marathon, one team stands out above the rest. They call themselves “Jogging For Jonathan”. One-hundred members strong, “Jogging For Jonathan” is hoping to raise $500,000 for a one-year old boy, Jonathan Voorhees, who recently underwent a liver transplant. He’s undergone more surgeries in his short life than most adults will ever have to.

“I mean, we really came close to losing him, he was so sick,” said Amber Voorhees, his mother. “Prior to the transplant, he had lots and lots of complications, with his liver disease getting worse and worse and worse.”

Jonathan gets his bloodwork drawn every week to check his liver enzymes. “They would be up in the thousands,” said Amber. “Where they’re supposed to be like 30.”

Sadly, Jonathan’s parents had to watch his health deteriorate. Apparently, in order to move up on the donor list, the patient has to get sicker. However, Jonathan eventually got a liver. It came from a child slightly bigger than him. His parents do not know the identity of the donor.

For More: Fox 19.com