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
🏜️ MEET CLIMBER: BETSY WATTIE 🏜️
One kidney. One incredible gift. And plenty of adventure ahead.
Betsy Wattie lives in Charleston, South Carolina, and donated a kidney to her oldest brother—a decision she says was an easy one. For Betsy, the surgery and recovery were a small price to pay for what came next: seeing the immediate and profound impact her donation had on her brother’s health.
She describes giving her brother a new lease on life as one of the most rewarding experiences of her own—a powerful reminder of what the gift of living donation can mean for both the recipient and the donor.
And Betsy certainly isn’t letting one kidney slow her down. Now she’s taking on another big adventure with Kidney Donor Athletes: Rim to River to Rim in the Grand Canyon!
We’re excited to have Betsy out there showing exactly what life after living donation can look like.
One kidney. Big adventures. Let’s go, Betsy! 💚🏜️
#KidneyDonorAthletes #RimToRiverToRim #LivingKidneyDonor #LivingDonation #OneKidney
🚨 THE KDA TEAM STORE IS OPEN! 🚨
Time to grab your Kidney Donor Athletes gear and rep KDA wherever your adventures take you! 💚🫘
🛍️ Last day to order: October 22
🔒 Store closes: October 23
📦 Once the store closes, please allow 6–8 weeks for your gear to arrive.
And don’t wait! Once this order window closes, the Team Store will not reopen until Q1 of 2027.
Whether you’re running, hiking, climbing, training, volunteering, or just out and about—we want to see that KDA gear out in the world! 💪
👉 Shop the KDA Team Store: teamstore.agile-sportswear.com/store/kidney-donor-athletes/
Get those orders in by 10/22! 💚
#KidneyDonorAthletes #KDA #LivingDonor #LivingKidneyDonor #OneKidney #DonateLife #LivingDonation
🏜️ MEET THE CLIMBERS: LETA HAYS 🥾
One kidney. A whole lot of adventure. And she’s not done yet!💚
Next up in our Rim to River to Rim climber introductions is living kidney donor Leta Hays!
In 2017, Leta donated a kidney to her dad—a decision that would change her life in ways she never could have imagined.
Since then, her passion for living donation and adventure has taken her around the world with Kidney Donor Athletes. She has climbed volcanoes in Guatemala, stood on the summit of Mt. Kilimanjaro, and now she’s heading into the Grand Canyon to take on Rim to River to Rim!
But this adventure carries an even deeper meaning.
The climb falls during the same month as the one-year anniversary of losing her dad, making every step through the Grand Canyon a special way to honor the person who began her living donation journey. 💚
Through every climb and every adventure, Leta continues to support the mission of Kidney Donor Athletes and show others just how BIG life with one kidney can be.
From donating to her dad to summiting Kilimanjaro and now taking on the Grand Canyon, Leta’s journey is a powerful reminder that donation can be the beginning of an incredible adventure.
Next stop: Grand Canyon! 🏜️🥾
Help us cheer on Leta Hays as she takes on Rim to River to Rim! 💚
#KidneyDonorAthletes #LivingKidneyDonor #LivingDonation #GrandCanyon #OneKidney
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