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
LOOK AT WHO IS ON TOP!!!
🏔️ 🤩🥳
Congrats KDA climbers on your summit of Mount Kilimanjaro on WORLD KIDNEY DAY!
We are SO proud of this amazing, tenacious, dedicated group of kidney donors. Enjoy that view!!
From here they descend to Barafu Camp for lunch and continue down to Mweka Camp in the upper forest. The night of the 12th will be their last night sleeping on Kilimanjaro before heading back to Moshi to rest and celebrate!
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Well done everyone, and special thanks to @godlivingtall for the updates!
#kidneydonorathlete #kilimanjarosummit #OneKidneyClimb #WorldKidneyDay #kdacommunity
The push for the summit of Kilimanjaro has begun! The climbers have been at it for about two hours at this point. KDA climber, Taylor, decided to stay at base camp and not make the push to the summit. We’re glad she’s taking care of herself and is supported by the Embark staff that is at camp!
Please send encouraging thoughts to our friends who are pushing through the dark on the other side of the world in chilly conditions to help show what’s possible as a kidney donor!
👏👏👏👏
#kidneydonorathlete #kilimanjaro #summitnight #kdacommunity #worldkidneyday
It’s just after 8pm on Mount Kilimanjaro and our climbers should be setting in at base camp trying to get some rest. Their alarms will go off later tonight to get up and have one more meal before the beginning of the their summit push between 11:30pm and midnight!
Here is some information about their hike to get to base camp:
This morning, leave Karanga Camp and reach the junction connecting with the Mweka Trail before ascending to Barafu Camp. Having completed the South Circuit, enjoy changing views of the summit along the way. At this altitude and exposure, temperatures drop noticeably, and there are clear views of both Mawenzi and Kibo. Arrive in the afternoon to rest, enjoy an early dinner, and prepare for the summit night.
Good luck climbers!!!! There are so many people around the world cheering you on and applauding your efforts to show what is possible with one kidney!
Enjoy that sunrise from Stella Point and the amazing views from Uhuru Peak! You got this!!
#kidneydonorathlete #kilimanjaro #summitnight #onekidneyclimb #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