SEVERAL LIFE CONNECTION OF OHIO VOLUNTEERS have joined Team Ohio and look forward to representing the power of organ donation at the Donate Life Transplant Games of America this summer!
Team Ohio is comprised of transplant recipients, living donors, donor families, and supporters. The organization’s mission is to promote organ donation by celebrating recipients and honoring donor heroes and their families who provided the gift of life. One of the team’s favorite ways to achieve its mission is through Donate Life Transplant Games of America participation.
The Donate Life Transplant Games of America is an Olympic-style competition for recipients that showcases the success of transplantation, recognizes donor heroes and their families, and raises awareness about the importance of organ donation. The 2024 Donate Life Transplant Games of America is set for July 5–10 in Birmingham, Alabama. The event includes 3-on-3 basketball, a 5K run/walk, badminton, ballroom dancing, bowling, cornhole, cycling, darts, golf, lyrics for life, pickleball, swimming, table tennis, tennis, Texas hold ‘em poker, trivia challenge, track and field, virtual triathlon, volleyball, and youth Olympiad.
Organ recipients like Pat McEntee and Byron Clark show the power of transplantation at the Donate Life Transplant Games of America.
Pat could not walk without stopping every couple minutes to catch his breath. When he bent over to tie his shoes, he was extremely dizzy and short of breath. Hyper-obstructive cardiomyopathy caused his heart to fail, and an LVAD (left ventricular assist device) was implanted into his chest to buy him time. He suffered three strokes, and he was in desperate need of a heart transplant. On August 13, 2017, after being on the national transplant waiting list for 1,068 days, Pat received a lifesaving heart transplant. Just one week later, he wowed medical staff as he walked a whole mile within the walls of the hospital—without being out of breath.
When he returned home, Pat and his wife, Amy, immediately jumped back into volunteering for Life Connection of Ohio to spread the word about the importance of organ donation. Pat is wholeheartedly grateful to his donor and donor family for giving him a second chance at life. “Every day, I pinch myself to remind myself it’s real. I’m so blessed,” Pat said. “I will work every day to honor the gift that has been given.” Byron’s congestive heart failure led to end-stage heart failure, and his only hope for survival was a heart transplant. His heart was functioning at only 10%. Byron could not tie his shoes or get up from the couch without getting extremely dizzy. He slept on multiple pillows because of fluid retention and difficulty breathing. In February 2015, an LVAD was implanted into his chest in the hopes of a bridge to transplant. Waiting was emotionally draining, but Byron and his wife, Debbie, found support. “God brought the right people into our lives that we needed at the time. The organization that really helped us get through the emotion going through the process was Life Connection of Ohio,” Byron said.
Everything changed with one phone call—a heart was available for Byron. On June 23, 2016, Byron received a lifesaving heart transplant. Byron’s 12th grandchild was born the same night as Byron’s transplant, and Byron is forever grateful that his gift of life enables him to spend more time with his family.
Donor family members like Russ and Kathi Flew attend the Donate Life Transplant Games of America to remember their loved one for giving the gift of life through organ donation.
Russ and Kathi’s 20-year-old son, Dylan, lived by the mantra “no regrets.” So it came as no surprise to Russ and Kathi that Dylan was a registered organ donor. Sadly, Dylan passed away on July 31, 2006, but on that day, he saved five lives through organ donation and healed more than 80 others through tissue donation.
Dylan and the lifesaving message of donation are featured on Hyway Trucking Company’s fleet of more than 400 trailers, traveling millions of miles encouraging people to be a hero like Dylan and donate life. “Dylan saved five lives in one day. They call organ donors heroes for a reason,” Kathi said.
Kathi and Russ have since met Dylan’s liver recipient, pancreas recipient, and kidney recipient, who they now consider family.
The Donate Life Transplant Games of America could not come at a more crucial time. Currently, there are more than 100,000 people on the national transplant waiting list, including 2,500 Ohioans. Sadly, 16 of them die every day waiting for their second chance at life. The good news: One person has the power to save eight lives through organ donation, heal 75 more through tissue donation, and give sight to two others through cornea donation.
Life Connection of Ohio is a non-profit organization that serves families and saves lives through organ donation. To learn more about organ donation or to say “yes” to saving lives, visit lifeconnection.org.
Kara Steele is Director of Community Services for Life Connection of Ohio. ✲
