DONATE LIFE ORGAN DONATION AWARENESS-MADISON, WISCONSIN

Countdown To 2010 National Kidney Foundation U.S. Transplant Games

In less than 60 days, an expected 7,500 visitors from across the country will arrive in Wisconsin to participate in the 2010 U.S. Transplant Games.

(June 3, 2010 – Madison, WI) In less than 60 days, an expected 7,500 visitors from across the country will arrive in Wisconsin to participate in the 2010 U.S. Transplant Games. The Legacy of Life Tour, a statewide tour that will visit 10 cities, officially kicks off the countdown to the Games.

The Legacy Tour acts as a lead-in to the Games, and features a series of community events around the state that will recognize local transplant recipients, living donors and donor families attending the Games as members of Team Wisconsin. In addition, each of the events will include a special presentation of a panel from Patches of Love: The National Donor Quilt.

“Through the Legacy of Life Tour, Wisconsin citizens will be able to witness first-hand the success of transplantation and the life-saving nature of organ and tissue donation within their own communities,” said Cindy Huber, CEO of the National Kidney Foundation of Wisconsin, who is organizing the Legacy Tour.

The U.S. Transplant Games, which come to Madison July 30-August 4, are an Olympic-style event for athletes who have received a life-saving organ transplant of any type (kidney, liver, heart, lung, pancreas and bone marrow). Transplant athletes of all ages will compete for gold, silver and bronze medals in 12 different sports including 5K run/walk, badminton, singles and doubles bowling, basketball, cycling, golf, swimming, singles and doubles tennis, track and field and volleyball.

Special events honoring living and deceased donors are highlights of the Games, as are the Opening and Closing Ceremonies. Presented biennially since 1990 by the National Kidney Foundation, the Games draw participants from across the country who are organized into state teams. Team Wisconsin boasts more than 600 members, followed by Team Philadelphia with 300 members. More than 1,500 transplant recipient athletes are expected to attend the Games which will bring an estimated economic impact of more than $2.55 million.

The Games are not only for members of the transplant and donation community and are not just another event in Wisconsin. “Even if you don’t have a personal connection to donation, participating in the Games in some way will change you profoundly,” said Krista Flanagan, co-chair of the Games Organizing Committee, noting that more than 1,200 volunteers are needed for the Games and the community is invited to participate in the Games 5K Run/Walk.

Echoing that sentiment is Trey Schwab, a double-lung transplant recipient himself who is the Outreach Coordinator for the UW Health Organ Procurement Organization and also co-chair of the Games Organizing Committee, “I encourage everyone to volunteer for the Games, participate in the 5K and/or attend the Games Opening and Closing Ceremonies.” He added, “At no other event have I ever witnessed such a sense of community, encouragement and just an overall sense of gratitude than at the Transplant Games.”

Hosting the Games, inviting the community to volunteer, attend the Games and participate in the 5K, as well as coordination of the Legacy Tour, all is being done to raise awareness of the critical need for more organ, tissue and eye donors. Today in the United States, more than 107,000 men, women and children are waiting to receive a life-saving organ transplant. In Wisconsin alone, more than 1,500 of our family members, co-workers and neighbors are waiting.

Sidebars:

--- Community 5K Run/Walk for Organ, Tissue and Eye Donation
Saturday, July 31 at 9:00 a.m. at the Capitol Square
Registration (before July 16): $20; Day of Registration: $30
www.YesIWillWisconsin.com

--- Legacy of Life Tour Event Dates and Locations:
June 8: LaCrosse and Eau Claire
June 9: Wausau and Marshfield
June 10: Green Bay and Appleton
June 14: Kenosha
June 15: Janesville
June 22: Milwaukee
June 23: Madison

--- Statewide Sponsors: UW Hospital and Clinics, Froedtert Hospital, Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin, Aurora Health Care, Greater Madison Convention & Visitors Bureau, National Kidney Foundation of Wisconsin, American Family Insurance, Schuster’s Playtime Farm, Trek Bicycle Corporation, American Family Children’s Hospital, Madison Area Lion and Lioness Clubs, SVA, CUNA Mutual Foundation, Dean & St. Mary’s, Group Health Cooperative, WPS Health Insurance and Ancora Coffee Roasters

--- To register as a donor: www.YesIWillWisconsin.com