In an effort to get you pumped up for the Summer Olympics this year, Derek and I are heading to Cleveland to participate in the Transplant Games of America in less than 2 weeks! The games:

“…started as a way to get the word out about the important need for organ and tissue donation and that is our goal today. Over the years it has grown into an event that brought transplant and donor families together. As a Donor Family you may not meet the person that has your loved ones organ, but you get a chance to see how your donation has changed someone else life. As a transplant recipient you get to show the world that having a transplant is a second chance at life.” [source]

Derek and I are proud to be representing Team New England at the games, and are happy to use the occasion as an opportunity to give thanks to, as well as honor, the young man and his family who chose to give Derek the gift of life two years ago.

We plan to take loads of photos and will give you a full update on the games when we return.

How Can You help?

1. Register to be an organ donor through our team’s official page. If you’ve already registered, you can register again, and it will still count towards our team’s goal of signing up 250 organ donors.
2. And/or you can donate to our team! Here’s the link to our team’s donation page. Your contribution is tax deductible.

Medal Awarded!

While winning a medal isn’t the primary goal of the Transplant Games, we are both highly competitive people and we sure hope we’ll make y’all proud.

Listed below are the events Derek & I have signed up for. Derek has been running regularly to train for his events, including competing in the Big Lake Half Marathon and the Canterbury 5k.

I have been swimming at the Y for a few months now and have only swallowed 1/10th of the pool in my quest to remaster my flip turn. I really hope I remember how to do a block start since I haven’t done one since, oh I don’t know, probably 1990? I’m hoping muscle memory kicks in for that particular skill, and the 2 running sprints I signed up for.

We will also be on a bocce team together and that should be interesting since we haven’t played an official game of bocce…ever.

Derek

Saturday, June 11th

Lifebanc 10k

Monday, June 13th

Track & Field – 800m, 1500m, 4×100 Relay, & Discus

Tuesday, June 14th

Team Bocce

Logan

Sunday, June 12th

Swimming – 50m Freestyle, 50m Breaststroke, 100m Freestyle

(Here’s the funny thing about lap pools. The Busbey Natatorium–where this event is being held–has a long course pool, which means one lap is 50 meters. But…we’re going to be swimming the short course a.k.a. the width of the pool which is 25 yards because American pools are weird. 25 yards = 22.86 meters. So does that means my times will be faster because I will be swimming 45.72 meters instead of 50 or 91.44 meters instead of 100? Maybe? Faster than what? I’m really searching for an advantage here.)

Monday, June 13th

Track & Field – 100m & 200m

Tuesday, June 14th

Team Bocce