Ahead of the 2024 Paris Olympics, Donor Network West recognizes Team CalNev’s victory at the Transplant Games of America—a celebration of athletes who have experienced organ donation and transplantation.
Leading into the 2024 Paris Olympics, which begin Friday, July 26, Donor Network West celebrates its team of athletes representing northern Nevada and northern California who participated in the Transplant Games of America that took place in Birmingham, Alabama earlier this month.
As the organ procurement organization (OPO) for northern Nevada and northern California, Donor Network West supported a team of 28 athletes in the Transplant Games including organ transplant recipients, a living organ donor and organ donation advocates and supporters. Donor Network West’s “Team CalNev” competed against 40 teams across 20 athletic and recreational competitions to win a staggering 123 medals—83 gold, 20 silver and 20 bronze—ultimately winning the Team Cup, which is awarded to the team that earned the most medals per participant.
The Transplant Games gathers thousands of transplant recipients, living donors, donor families and individuals on the waiting list to compete in the biennial competition. The multi-day event helps raise awareness about the crucial need for organ, eye and tissue donation and celebrates how the gift of donation offers a second chance for recipients to live a full, productive life.
This year, Donor Network West participants competed in honor of previous Team CalNev athlete and double-lung transplant recipient, Isabel Stenzel Byrnes. Isabel and her twin sister, Anabel Stenzel, were passionate advocates for organ donation and transplantation and their family lit the Transplant Games torch during the opening ceremony. The sisters’ documentary adaptation of their memoir, “The Power of Two,” was shown during the Games.
Among this year’s top competitors was Matt De Fina, a double lung transplant recipient and six-time Transplant Games athlete from Napa, California, and leader of Team CalNev. De Fina and his teammates took home gold in the 3-on-3 basketball event.
“I’m so proud that Team CalNev brought the coveted Team Champions Trophy home in honor of Isa and many others,” said De Fina. “Thank you to our donors, the donor families, and medical staff who care for us all, alongside our primary sponsor, Donor Network West, for all you do for Team CalNev, a group of people brought together by the gift of life.”
Donor Network West helps organize and fund Team CalNev as part of the organization’s mission to help heal and save lives through organ donation and transplantation.
“The Transplant Games of America is an inspirational embodiment of perseverance, love, and the ultimate gift of life within organ donation and transplantation,” said Janice Whaley, president and CEO of Donor Network West. “Seeing our CalNev transplant athletes come together alongside our donor families and supporters is an act so powerful that it moves minds, hearts, and the nation.”
The Transplant Games of America are a celebration of the impact of the gift of life. Anyone can register to be an organ donor, regardless of age, health status or ethnicity. To learn more and to join the organ donor registry, visit DonorNetworkWest.org.
About Donor Network West
Donor Network West saves and heals lives by facilitating organ and tissue recovery for transplantation and research. Established in 1987, Donor Network West is designated and certified by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, accredited by the American Association of Tissue Banks (AATB), is a member of the Organ Donation Alliance and is an official Donate Life organization. Donor Network West is federally designated to serve 45 counties in northern California and northern Nevada, Donor Network West partners with the Department of Motor Vehicles and the state-authorized donor registries to help increase donor registration. For information, visit www.DonorNetworkWest.org and follow us on social media: @mydnwest.
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