22 Kidney Donor Athletes
One Kidney Climb
KDA is using this climb to bring awareness to living donation, demonstrate what is possible post-donation, and to launch initiatives which inspire, support and educate people about the experience of living donation.
The rooftop of Africa! Kilimanjaro! Kidney Donor Athletes stood on top of the tallest freestanding mountain in the world March 10, 2022, World Kidney Day.
During the climb hurdles were overcome, life long bonds established, and a message sent to all the world:
“The purpose of this climb is to show people around the world that it’s possible to thrive on one kidney,” said Tracey Hulick, founder of Kidney Donor Athletes.
“Something that’s important to all of us is to normalize kidney donations,” Patty Graham, said. “We’re not heroes, we’re normal people. We lead normal lives.”
Thanks to everyone who has supported this climb and to our dear friends at Embark Exploration Company for safely and expertly guiding our great adventure!
The Details
Here’s the What/When/Where/Why of our big adventure!
Find out more about the dire need and the life saving benefits of living kidney donation.
Interesting facts about the tallest free-standing mountain in the world.
KDA KILIMANJARO CLIMBING TEAM
Learn more about this group of 22 kidney donor athletes from across the U.S. and Canada.
Sponsorship Opportunities
Would you like to donate to our advocacy effort? You can make a personal donation here:
Are you interested in becoming a corporate sponsor for our event?
Questions
Do you have any questions related to our incredible advocacy expedition, donating, or sponsorship?
One Kidney Climb
News
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...
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. ...
Rebekah’s Run for Mt. Kilimanjaro
I would not call myself a hiker, but when the opportunity to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro with a group of fellow kidney donors came my way, it was not difficult to say YES to this incredible adventure, and do what I could to become a hiker. So here I am, fundraising,...
Emily’s Journey to Kilimanjaro
My name is Emily, and I have never been a mountain climber. In fact, I have a very vivid memory of the summer of 2008, when I was interning in Uganda: I went with a group of friends to climb a small mountain (more of a hill, really). At that time, I was not at all...
Message from KDA President Bobby McLaughlin
What do you do in times of COVID when you're seeking to create some connection with others? Six of us at Kidney Donor Athletes decided to organize and participate in a virtual Yahtzee tournament where we would play each other in a tournament format, keeping track of...