Kidney Donor Athletes has a new President! Congratulations to Bobby McLaughlin! He donated his kidney to a stranger on January 2nd of 2019, and has been an active member of KDA from that very day. He is a member of our Board of Directors, chairs the Events Committee, and is the lead organizer of our … Continue reading Big Announcement – We Have a New President!
By Kim Constantinesco In a year in which so much life was lost and freedom was stripped, I wanted to do something that would save a life and inject freedom. So, I donated my kidney to a stranger on December 16, 2020. I thought it would be the “Hollywood ending” that I saw on kidney donor Facebook groups or on the news. The one in which 99% … Continue reading Failed Kidney Transplant Propels Donor Athlete to Dig Deeper Than 100 Miles
Read Part One of Mark's Story here! I returned home from my surgery after one night in the hospital. With my surgery scheduled at 6:30 in the morning, I had a complete day to start my recovery. By 5pm on the day of surgery, the staff had me up and walking with the help of … Continue reading Update from Kidney Donor Athlete, Mark!
I never knew how much the “Share Your Spare” panel I attended on May 2019 at the university where I work would change my life. I had two acquaintances who had previously done direct kidney donations, which got me curious, but it wasn’t until I listened to the stories of the donors and recipients on the panel that really lit something inside … Continue reading Meet Kidney Donor Athlete, Maranda!
Come Back Ken: My road to donation may have started a little different than most but we will get there. My journey started back in May 2018 while running the Buffalo marathon. Up until this point, I was always a weekend warrior and considered myself to be a somewhat decent athlete playing lacrosse and hockey … Continue reading Meet Kidney Donor Athlete, Ken!
I had never thought about organ donation. Like some people, I knew of a close family member that had donated, in my case a Sister-In-Law that gave a kidney to a high school classmate years after they had graduated. That was about 10 years ago and I do remember that things went well for both … Continue reading Meet Soon to Be Kidney Donor Athlete, Mark!
Well, it has been an interesting year but my solo kidney is doing very well (and so is my socially distant kidney). My last KDA update was in my 6 week recovery period post-donation surgery. I was doing well and excited to get back to training after 6 months off the mat thanks to my … Continue reading Another Update from Kidney Donor Athlete, Varla!
My name is Megan Anderson and I am a wife, mother, Air Force veteran and teacher living in the Seattle area. I donated my kidney on July 17, 2019, to a stranger through the paired exchange program. Up to this point in my life, I would say I was very active. While on active duty … Continue reading Meet Kidney Donor Athlete, Megan!
I’m not a very superstitious person or one that really believes everything happens for a reason, but every once in a while it just feels like things are falling into the place they belong. One evening around Halloween in 2018, my husband and I were living with my brother and his girlfriend while our new … Continue reading Meet Kidney Donor Athlete, Ashlie!
I honestly knew nothing about living kidney donation when I started this journey other than it was something that people did for their loved ones (I had no idea people donated altruistically either!). This all changed when, in February of 2018, my mom called to tell me that she was in kidney failure and … Continue reading Meet Kidney Donor Athlete, Katie!
