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
Another day of hiking is on the books for our climbers on the Kilimanjaro trek. On the route they are traversing it takes 8 days to complete the journey, and the average rate of reaching the summit is between 90 and 95%. Today our climber, Bethany, made the best choice for her health and descended the mountain with exceptional care and support from the Embark staff. She will rest and recover in Moshi as she waits for the rest of the KDA team to complete their climb.
Let’s send her lots of love and support, and also give gratitude to @embark.exploration.co for giving such high quality care to our dear members of this climbing team.
❤️
Here is the overview of what the team hiked today:
From the Shira Plateau, continue east along a ridge toward Kibo before turning southeast to the Lava Tower, also known as the “Shark’s Tooth.” Stop here for a hot lunch and time to acclimatize before descending to Barranco Camp. Although you finish the day at a similar elevation to where you began, this day is key for acclimatization and helps prepare your body for summit.
Rest well climbers - we’re proud of you!
#kidneydonorathlete #onekidneyclimb #kilimanjaro #kdacommunity #livingdonor
The KDA climbers have completed their third day on the mountain!
Here is what today’s hike consisted of on Kilimanjaro based on the itinerary from @embark.exploration.co :
After breakfast, hike east across the Shira Plateau and past the Shira Cathedral. Shira is one of the highest plateaus on earth, and the hike to camp takes about four hours. Along the way, pass the first of many giant senecios—Kilimanjaro’s distinctive, otherworldly high-altitude plants—and enjoy wide-open views as the mountain draws closer.
We’re so proud of everyone on this adventure, both the KDA climbers and all the incredible support staff from Embark!
The climbers will likely have some cell service soon and we’ll share their posts and stories as they pop up.
Let’s keep cheering them on as they make their way toward the 19,341 foot peak of this majestic mountain!
#kidneydonorathlete #onekidneyclimb #kdacommunity #kilimanjaro #livingdonor
Right now it’s the afternoon of day 2 on Kilimanjaro for our climbers!
@embark.exploration.co does an incredible job of supporting our climbers on the mountain. We are grateful for their expertise, top notch local guides, porters and cooks, and their care in planning!
Here is a summary of today’s itinerary for the climbers:
Leave the rainforest behind and enter open moorland as you climb toward the Shira Ridge. The route follows exposed ridgelines and crosses several false summits before descending slightly onto the Shira Plateau to reach Shira Camp 1. Expect a more challenging day, rewarded with your first clear views of Kilimanjaro.
We hope the clouds have parted and they get to see Kili today!
Way to go climbers!
#kidneydonorathlete #onekidneyclimb #kilimanjaro #kdacommunity #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