Kevin Monroe donated a kidney to his brother Elliott, giving him four more years of life and a precious gift to the close-knit Monroe family.

Kevin and Elliott's Story

From the time they were young, Kevin and Elliott Monroe were a great brother team. Elliott was a caring and giving person, always including his younger brothers in whatever adventure he was stirring up. So, in 1996, when Elliott was beginning to develop kidney failure and put on dialysis, Kevin knew that he would be the one to donate one of his kidneys to Elliott. In fact, Kevin was the first, and as it turned out, only person in the Monroe family to be tested because he was a perfect match.

When Elliott’s kidneys began to further deteriorate, he was transplanted at St. Vincent Medical Center in Los Angeles in April 1998. During the next year, Elliott was able to return to a fairly normal life, but his return to good health did not last.

All three Monroe brothers (Greg, Kevin and Elliott) were ATV enthusiasts and spent a lot of time in the desert riding and camping with family and friends. They also spent a week in Utah each fall at the annual "Mountain Man Marathon," enjoying the beautiful scenery, sitting around the campfire and talking about doing a "big ride." However, as Elliott grew more ill, he was able to do less and less. In October of 2001, at the age of 56, he passed away. The brothers never did go on their "big ride".

Greg and Kevin continued to ride ATVs and often thought about that ride they never took. “Then in September of 2002, as Greg and I were traveling to our annual ATV trip in Utah, we began talking about that big ride and how we should do one, in honor of Elliott. That's all it took,” says Kevin. “Before 20 miles had sped by, we had exchanged a flood of ideas. We would ride across the United States on ATVs and raise awareness about the importance of organ and tissue donation.”

In April of 2004 (National Donate Life Month), after 18 months of planning, a group of organ transplant recipients gathered at the Santa Monica Pier in Santa Monica, Calif., started up their ATVs and departed for New York City. “What better way to turn a head a two our way than to ride the ATVs on the interstates? What a ride and what great people we met,” says Kevin.

”Then in April of 2006, to continue our mission, we once again climbed aboard our ATVs and pointed them toward New York City. Different people, a different route, but we carried the same message: Organ and tissue donation is needed now more than ever. We all have the power to save lives.

”As I prepare to ride the Donate Life Rose Parade Float, I can't but to think back about Elliott: the influence he had on my life, and those around him, and the fact that he still is an influence in our lives.”