The Transplant Games of America: Where Donation Comes Alive | EP 39

Send us Fan MailYou can’t fully understand organ donation until you see what it makes possible. Parents reaching milestones they once thought they might miss. Grandparents meeting grandchildren. Families holding both grief and pride at the same time. In this episode of Donor Diaries, we take you to the Transplant Games of America, happening June 18 to 23 in Denver. Often described as a “mini Olympics,” the Games bring together transplant recipients, living donors, and donor families for a week that feels more like a family reunion than a competition.Laurie is joined by three voices who represent every side of the donation story.Bill Ryan, donor dad and President and CEO of the Transplant Life Foundation, shares how decades of experience producing large-scale events led him to steward this powerful gathering and why it continues to grow.Mark McIntosh, founder of Victory Productions and chair of the 2026 Denver host committee, opens up about living with amyloidosis, surviving kidney failure, and receiving a life-saving transplant in 2024. Now a longtime media personality and motivational speaker, he is using his platform to drive awareness around kidney health and living donation.And Kathleen Hostert, living kidney donor and co-founder of Life’s Short. Live It., shares her deeply personal story of donating a kidney to her husband Craig and walking alongside him through transplant, cancer, and the meaningful years they might not have otherwise had.Together, they explore what makes the Games so unique, why living donation is a practical and powerful response to the organ shortage, and how this community creates space for both celebration and healing.You’ll also hear what to expect in Denver, from competitions and ceremonies to the moments in between that are harder to describe but impossible to forget. Kathleen shares updates on a large-scale gathering designed to bring living donors and recipients together in one place, inspired by global milestones and grounded in the idea that generosity can ripple further than we imagine.With National Donate Life Month as the backdrop, this episode is an invitation to move beyond awareness and into action.LinksTransplant Life FoundationTransplant Games of America WebsiteWorld Record Attempt DetailsVictory ProductionsDrive for FiveCraig and Katheen’s WalkDonor Diaries WebsiteDonor Diaries on FacebookGiftWorks WebsiteConnect with Laurie Lee