Needing to lose 40 lbs. to be an eligible liver donor for his son Michael, a BYU-Idaho alumnus, Russell Pendergrass took the 2005 Body-for-LIFE challenge.

After 12 strenuous weeks of diet and exercise, Russell’s hard work and dedication paid off, as he achieved his weight loss goal. And now, it could pay off even more as Russell has been selected as one of the six Body-for-LIFE finalists for 2005.

The winner, who will receive $1 million, will be announced the first week of January.

Michael, now 27 years old, was born with biliary atresia, a condition that, until 1975, was fatal for every child born with it. In 1975, U.S. physicians began using the Kasai procedure, which prolongs the viability of the liver. The majority of those treated with the Kasai procedure need a liver transplant by the age of 14.

“His doctors are baffled as to why he has been able to hold off as long as he has,” said his mom, Pati. “He has been dubbed everything from a walking statistical anomaly to a walking miracle by every physician that has attended him. There is no question that he will need a transplant. The question is, why hasn’t he needed one before now?”

Russell said one of his biggest motivators throughout the 12 weeks was Michael’s newborn child, who was born in November.

“The thought of that baby being raised without his daddy — when I could prevent [his death] — finally gave me the perspective I needed to embrace the BFL Challenge,” Russell, a U.S. Navy Captain, said.

The weight and fitness changes will need to be permanent because doctors have said Michael could need his liver transplant anywhere from one day to three years.

In November, the Body-for-LIFE Team surprised the Pendergrass family at their home in Highlands Ranch, Colo., with the news of Russ being a finalist.

Russ and the other finalists will be flown to New York, Dec. 8, for a “media boot camp,” and press conference.

Because the winner will be chosen by online voting, Russ and Michael are now asking BYU-I students to vote daily from Dec. 9-30 at BodyForLife.com. 

Russ believes winning will publicize Michael’s story and hopefully provide a piece of the puzzle to cure liver disease.