meet the
donor athletes
Our Mission ///
Kidney Donor Athletes promotes the gift of life through living kidney donation among active individuals and athletes by building a community that inspires, supports, and educates people about the experience of kidney donation.
Stephanie’s great challenge to give & to climb
For me, deciding to apply to join the Kilimanjaro One Kidney Climb team was a lot like the decision to donate my left kidney – I was scrolling through Facebook one evening and saw a post about it and thought, “Oh! I HAVE to do that!” (Hey, who says social...
Meet Kili Climber Lucy
Lucy was inspired to donate to make a real difference in the world. She has always felt the desire to donate an organ. She responded to an article in a newspaper that she felt was meant for her. She is climbing because she feels this is a unique...
Meet Kidney Donor Athlete, Kristy!
In February 2019, a family member was diagnosed with kidney failure and admitted to the hospital. Having two friends who have donated kidneys before I knew transplant was an option, and immediately began doing research. While I wondered what donating a kidney would...
Meet kili Climber kristyn
In 2018 I started hiking in Acadia National Park. I was overweight and out of shape so with a max elevation of about 1500ft, it was the perfect place to start. By the end of that first summer, I was hooked. I decided to dust off an old goal I had shelved back in high...
Andrea’s kili climb story
Andrea donated her kidney to her uncle. After going through the process and witnessing the difference it made to him, she would donate all over again if she could. She is climbing to help raise awareness of living kidney donation and to be an example of how donating...
kili climber Natalie: acting for advocacy
Natalie was inspired to donate when her friend’s daughter was in end-stage renal failure, and she felt compelled to help. She is climbing not only for the physical challenge post kidney donation but out of a strong sense of responsibility to advocate for living...
J’ne’s training for Kili Climb
I’m not sure what came over me when I applied to climb Kilimanjaro with KDA. I only knew that if I was accepted, it would be a new adventure with a supportive group of people that would help me get there. My initial feelings when considering kidney donation were...
Meet Kili Climber Mike
Mike was inspired to donate because his wife, Annie, needed a kidney. She was in stage 5 renal failure; the next step was dialysis. He tried to be a direct donor but was not a match. He learned of “paired match,” give a kidney, get a kidney as part of a...
Kathryn “Why NOt” Donor & Kili Climber
Kathryn was inspired to donate after reading about her recipient who had been on home dialysis for more than four years. She immediately asked if this is something she could do and felt that this person was as deserving of a new lease on life as anyone she was...
meet kili climber chris
Chris was inspired to donate when he watched an interview on the news in 2017. Donating was not something he had thought much about before that day. That interview stirred up a strong sense to give. He had been blessed with good health and it felt...
Shannon’s Cause for climbing
Shannon knew at a young age that she might one day need to donate a kidney to her brother after he was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes. Decades later, after a bone marrow donation was abruptly canceled, she knew it was time to donate a kidney. Her brother didn’t need...
Meet Kidney Donor Athlete, KRissi!
We found out when my stepdaughter was in middle school that she would need a kidney at some point. She was diagnosed with Stage 4 kidney disease. Our goal was for her to get through high school and then have the transplant. Two of her blood-related family members went...
Samantha’s calling & Kili Climb
Samantha Carreiro was inspired to donate when she watched a friend pass away while searching for a bone marrow donor when she was younger. That experience changed her outlook on life and she knew in the future that given the chance to save another life while...
Matt’s bucket list: save lives & climb Kilimanjaro
Matthew was inspired to donate by his father who passed away from End-Stage-Renal-Disease. As the oldest of three children, Matthew felt he was the most likely candidate to donate a kidney to his father but views it as a missed opportunity because his father...
Meet Kili Climber Patty
Patty and other One Kidney Climbers met in Denver recently to train for the Kilimanjaro climb. Patty talked with the NBC affiliate in Denver about her upcoming journey. Patty was inspired to donate by her sister, who donated to their stepfather 15 years earlier. ...
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