Transplant Team Arizona, Inc.

We are a 501 (c)(3) non-profit organization whose members are organ transplant recipients, living donors and donor family members. Our purpose is to raise money to take recipients and donor family members to the transplant games, encourage organ and tissue donation, and to provide support for donor family members.

The world is watching the Winter Olympic Games this week and I want to share a story of Olympic Gold and how it affects the world of organ donation and its recipients.

This past Sunday I volunteered at the Firebird International Raceway for the afternoon. I volunteer my time to raise awareness for organ donation and take donations for Team Arizona. This event is sponsored by the National Kidney Foundation to pay honor to the recipients, donor families, both living and deceased. It is an awe inspiring event. To see a child as young as 1 or 2 or an adult as old as 85 complete the event they entered is uplifting and gives one pause to think about how blessed we recipients really are. It has and always will be a humbling experience for me.

I want to thank those who come through the gate and give so generously. I am always amazed at how touched I am to see people care about our cause. Some give what they can, and some hand out $100 bills without batting an eye. It matters not the amount, it is the spirit of giving that touches me. When someone hands you all the change in their pocket, it touches me as deeply as the $100 bill, because that may be all they had. It is the heart of the giver that God sees and honors.

So I will be participating in Madison, Wisconsin from July 30th-August 4th. I will be swimming the 50m freestyle and the 50m backstroke. My object is to finish the race I have started. I have already won the prize of good health and a new life.I will attend the Donor Day event, as I meet many who gave with so much unconditional love during a very difficult time in their lives. It is a day to be thankful, reflective, and give honor to those very special organ or tissues recipients and the donors who make a second chance at life possible.

I have received the humility of Christ, and the fear of the Lord has brought me wealth and honor and life. (Prov.22:4)