COMMUNITY /// HEALTH /// EDUCATION
LIFE CHANGING EXPERIENCES
Join the Living Donor Games!
In a 2023 survey, 73% of respondents felt that donating a kidney would negatively affect their health. The Donor Games refutes this widely held misconception by showcasing the impressive health and fitness of kidney and liver donors from around the country.
With over 90,000 Americans waiting for a kidney, your donation can be the difference between life and death, offering a chance at a longer, healthier life for the recipient. Living kidney donation is a low-risk procedure, and 95% of donors say they would do it again because the emotional reward of saving a life is unparalleled. Donors often experience an enhanced sense of well-being, with improved quality of life and psychosocial health. Most healthy people can donate and if you qualify, you’ll be giving the ultimate gift: a life-saving kidney with lasting impact.
Programs
Kidney Donor Athletes is proud to create spaces, events, and opportunities that support and celebrate living kidney donors.
Our Champions program began in 2019 after the impact of donor and aspiring donor meetings showed to be deeply meaningful.
The First Event Back program was an aspirational idea formed in KDA’s first Board of Directors in 2020 and came into existence in late 2023. It’s our way of supporting you in your first event back after donation!
“Something that’s important to all of us is to normalize kidney donation. We’re not heroes, we’re normal people. We lead normal lives.” ~ Patty Graham, living donor
Events
We host events to demonstrate that living organ donors can accomplish any physical challenge that could be achieved by a person with two kidneys. We climb mountains and volcanoes, and trek through the Grand Canyon as a group. We also host movie screenings, have KDA Family Gatherings, and participate in the Donor Games. We create experiences for all kinds of living donors and would love for you to participate!
Facebook Posts
Rim to River to Rim Climber Spotlight: Becca Corah 🏜️
Meet Becca Corah!
Becca has called Whitefish, Montana home for the past 27 years, where she lives with her husband and their Labrador.
Eleven years ago, Becca donated her left kidney to someone she barely knew through work—an experience that reinforced her belief in making the most of every adventure.
And adventure is definitely a big part of Becca’s life! You’ll usually find her exploring mountain trails, trail running, traveling, or wandering through the woods in search of wild herbs and mushrooms. 🌲🥾🍄
We’re so excited to have Becca joining us for Rim to River to Rim!
#KidneyDonorAthletes #RimToRiverToRim #LivingKidneyDonor #LivingDonation #OneKidneyStrong
🏜️ MEET THE CLIMBERS: TERESA FANG 🥾
Next up in our Rim to River to Rim climber introductions is living kidney donor and endurance athlete Teresa Fang! 💚
Teresa’s journey began in 2015 after seeing a Facebook post about a young woman named Meaghan who desperately needed a kidney. Already a longtime blood and platelet donor, Teresa reached out and began the evaluation process.
Although she was a compatible match, a paired exchange offered Meaghan the opportunity to receive a kidney from a younger donor. On December 8, 2015, Teresa donated at Massachusetts General Hospital. Her kidney was flown to Houston as part of a six-person kidney exchange, while Meaghan received a kidney from another donor in Massachusetts.
Nearly 11 years later, Teresa continues to show what is possible with one kidney!
Endurance has always been part of her life. Before donation, Teresa completed the London Marathon, four Disney Marathons, and five Boston Marathons. Since donating, she has added the Vienna Marathon, countless hiking adventures, and even the Grand Canyon Rim-to-Rim-to-Rim to her accomplishments.
Now 62, Teresa averages at least five miles of walking every weekday with her dogs, hikes whenever possible, and typically completes two marathons or endurance events each year.
When people ask what she can’t do with one kidney, Teresa has a pretty simple answer:
“Not much.” 💚
Now she’s heading back to the Grand Canyon to take on Rim to River to Rim with her fellow Kidney Donor Athletes!
For Teresa, it’s another adventure—and another opportunity to show that living donation doesn’t mean giving up the life you love.
Help us cheer on Teresa! 🏜️🥾💚
#KidneyDonorAthletes #LivingKidneyDonor #LivingDonation #GrandCanyon #OneKidney
We’ve got a new way for you to get involved with KDA!
🥳
Our community is made up of a wide variety of fantastic people, and we want to hear from you! Check out our website to get details on how to share a video of you answering a question or two that we commonly receive. Your voice matters and we want to share it!
This opportunity is open to both kidney donor athletes, AND recipients!
Your video submissions will be featured on our socials and YouTube channel and will help us to feature and celebrate the amazing people that make this organization so special.
kidneydonorathlete.org/share-your-video/
Comment below with questions! Thanks!
#kidneydonorathlete #kdacommunity #kidneydonor #livingdonor
Frequently asked questions
Do you still have questions after reading through our home page? We’ve got you covered! Check out our FAQ to read answers to the most common questions we receive. If you still have questions after that, you can reach out through our Contact page.
Get Involved
We hope that by visiting our website, you’re feeling inspired! Want to take it further by getting more involved through sharing your story, attending an event, serving on a committee, or even applying to our Board of Directors?
I love being a part of KDA because it connects me with a community of like-minded people who truly understand my journey. Being surrounded by other athletes inspires me every day, and I’m passionate about helping spread awareness to even more people around the world.
Meet the Donor Athletes
Explore more than 150 stories of kidney donor athletes!
Share your Story
Get involved with KDA by sharing your donation story!
Join a One Kidney Club
Build community with other living donors in your area.
Being a part of the KDA community gave me the opportunity to show that a person of color and living kidney donor, while being a plus-sized athlete, can still live a healthy, athletic lifestyle. It is very important to display this, and it is one of the reasons why I started Multicultural Miracle Donor Foundation, to advocate and bring awareness.
“The KDA community is a mash-up of every kind of athlete out there, and we’re all here to rally around you. It makes no difference if you walk three times a week around the neighborhood, or if you’ve climbed Mount Kilimanjaro. We’re all just people. People who have saved lives and want to support others who are also passionate about saving lives and making the world a better place.” ~ Tracey Hulick, Founder