Tennessee Donor Services Celebrates the Gift of Life at the 2024 Transplant Games

The 2024 Transplant Games of America were held in Birmingham, Alabama in early July. This biennial event recognizes the tremendous accomplishments of individuals whose lives have been affected by organ, eye and tissue donation. The festival-style week brings together athletes, living donors, donor families, and medical professionals dedicated to donation and transplantation to promote awareness of the lifesaving impacts of donation. Teams from nearly every state compete in a variety of sporting and non-sport competitive events to demonstrate how their lives have been changed through the gift of life as a result of organ, eye and tissue donation.

Team Tennessee Donor Services, comprised of 40 transplant recipients, living donors, donor families, caregivers and transplant professionals made the trip south to Birmingham. They showed the world that transplantation not only saves lives but restores vibrancy and most importantly, honored the incredible gifts they had been given.

Team Tennessee transplant recipients included those receiving lungs, livers, hearts, kidneys, and one multi-organ recipient. After five days of competition, blood, sweat and tears, this small but mighty team had a renewed spirit and gratitude for their lifesaving donor heroes!

Team Tennessee Medal Breakdowns

14 recipients competed and brought home 41 medals, resulting in a successful week for Team Tennessee! Below are the our fierce competitors, their events and their winnings.

Kassandra Klemenz, Lung Recipient – 5K, Virtual Triathlon, Swimming, Track and Field (11 Gold, 2 Silver, 1 Bronze)

Billy Jarvis, 3x Kidney Recipient – Tennis, Basketball, Pickleball (4 Gold, 1 Silver)

Gay Eisen, Liver Recipient – Tennis, Table Tennis, Pickleball, Basketball (4 Gold, 1 Silver)

Jay Jones, Heart Recipient – Gold (4 Gold)

Travis Fuller, 2x Kidney Recipient – Tennis and Basketball (2 Gold, 1 Bronze)

Adrian Bowers, Kidney Recipient – Golf (2 Gold)

Suzy Sawyer, Liver Recipient – 5K, Track and Field, Basketball (2 Gold, 1 Silver)

Mike Fuller, 3x Kidney Recipient – Golf (1 Bronze)

Ricky Castro, Multi-Organ Recipient – Cornhole (1 Silver)

Joe Carder, Liver Recipient – Cornhole (1 Silver)

Zach Loyd, Lung Recipient – Basketball (1 Gold)

Teresa Browning, Kidney Recipient – Basketball (1 Gold)

Danette Smith, Liver Recipient – 5K, Lyrics for Life

Kristi Browning, Kidney Recipient – Cornhole

Save lives today! Register to be an organ, eye and tissue donor at DonateLifeTN.org.