Sharing Body and Soul

Two years ago, Len Geiger was near death, suffering from a severe case of genetic emphysema.

On Saturday, Geiger participated in his first marathon, accompanied by the father of the 14-year-old girl whose lungs were used in a double-lung transplant to save his life.

Because of extensive damage to his lower body, Geiger did a “race walk” instead of running the course while Kevin Shroyer slowly jogged alongside him.

It took the pair more than six hours to finish, but Shroyer didn’t mind.

“When I’m running with him, it’s all about us and it’s all about Korinne, and that’s as close as I will ever again come to running with my daughter,” Shroyer said before the race.

“So I don’t mind savoring every minute I’m out there with him.”

The race benefited organ and tissue donation programs for the Donate Life Partnership of LifeNet and the United Network for Organ Sharing. The Richmond organization maintains the national list of people awaiting transplants. More than two dozen people affected by organ donation participated -- including families of donors, recipients and living donors.

In 2002, Geiger’s lungs were barely functioning and his hip bones had deteriorated because of his steroidal medication, requiring a total hip replacement.

At the same time, Shroyer’s once-vivacious daughter, Korinne, lay in a hospital, about to die in what Shroyer believes was a Paxil-induced suicide. The government has warned that the antidepressant may be linked to an increased risk of suicide in children.

Shroyer and his wife, Kristie, overwhelmed with grief, drew on their faith and decided to have Korinne’s organs donated.

Her lungs went to Geiger, 45, of Gainesville, Ga.

Last year, the Shroyers started thinking about who received Korinne’s organs. As they were contemplating how they should go about contacting the recipients, they received a letter from Geiger through LifeNet, the organ and tissue donation agency in Virginia.

“I wrote that letter I can’t tell you how many times,” Geiger said.

“I couldn’t ever quite get it the way I wanted it to be until finally somebody very smart said, ‘Just say, “Thank you.” ’ “

The letter started a flow of correspondence between the two parties, and last fall they arranged to meet in Charlottesville at a LifeNet office.

“We all hugged and we sat down, and I sighed. And Kevin leaned over and said, ‘Do that again,’ ” Geiger said.

“Because he could hear his daughter’s lungs and hear my voice, and my voice is powered by his daughter’s lungs.”

The emotional meeting sparked a close bond, and the two soon realized they shared a love of fitness. They began participating in races together, and on Saturday they completed their first marathon, with a time of 6:25:17.

Though their relationship was born out of tragedy, Shroyer said Geiger’s chance at a new life was the most positive thing to come out of his daughter’s death.

“As a result of losing our daughter, I feel like I’ve kind of adopted a brother,” Shroyer said. “And he’s part of our family, whether he wants to be or not.”