2022 Transplant Games of America
The 2022 Donate Life Transplant Games of America were held in San Diego, California from July 28 – August 3, 2022. This biennial event gathers together thousands of organ transplant recipients, living donors, donor families, transplant candidates on the waiting list, caregivers, transplant professionals and supporters for a national sports festival. This sports festival celebrates and promotes the gift of life of organ donation. Competitors from 38 state teams and three international teams (Brazil, Australia, and India) competed in over 20 athletic and recreational events. In addition to these medaling events there were over 60 special events held throughout the Games for everyone to enjoy.
At the Transplant Games, recipients are given the chance to show the world that having a transplant is a second chance at a full, productive, and inspiring life as well as display to their donor families what their gift means to them.
This year Transplant Life Illinois sent a team of over 50 recipients, living donors, donor families and supporters to San Diego for the Transplant Games of America. Just a few of the events that the Illinois team competed in this year were: basketball, volleyball, trivia, tennis, cornhole, pickleball, cycling, Texas hold 'em, swimming, and track and field trials. The Illinois “Spare Parts” basketball team - all solid organ transplant recipients - have been competing at the games since 1996. The Illinois Team Basketball won a gold medal for their event. The Gift of Hope sponsored 8 donor families at the transplant games, and the Illinois Donor Family Team won a bronze medal in the trivia game.
Susan English, a past President of OTS and a liver recipient, participated in the Transplant Games as a member of Transplant Life Illinois. Susan competed in swimming, volleyball, and team trivia, and won 2 medals, a gold medal for swimming and a bronze medal in team volleyball. Susan has competed in the Donate Life Transplant Games since 2016 and she summed up the importance of the transplant games and organ donation: “I was one of the fortunate ones to receive a lifesaving liver transplant and have been able to resume a normal. Life. That is why I am passionate about promoting organ and tissue donation.”
OTS commends all those who participated in the Donate Life Transplant Games of America for 2022. The thousands of athletes at the Games showed the world the importance of organ and tissue donation and living your life to the fullest after a transplant.