Transplant Athletes Travel to U.S. Transplant Games on Magic Jet
Orlando, Florida—Forty transplant athletes from across Florida will take a magic carpet ride to Louisville-Kentucky to compete in the National Kidney Foundation 2006 U.S. Transplant Games, an Olympic-style competition for all transplant recipients, including kidney, liver, heart, lung, pancreas, intestine and bone marrow. Ranging in age from 3 to 70, each passenger will travel aboard the Orlando Magic team jet thanks to the generosity of Magic Chairman and owner, Rich DeVos.
The flight departs Friday, June 16 at 12:00 noon from the Magic Carpet Aviation hanger located at 4225 Execuair Street in Orlando. Family members, friends and supporters will gather that morning beginning at 11:00 a.m. to give the athletes a rousing send-off.
“Each and every one of the recipients that will travel on the jet has overcome tremendous obstacles,” says Diana Couch, Team Florida chair. “From a young age, they have had to endure multiple surgeries and the wait for an available organ,” she continues; “As a donor mom, I am amazed by their tenacity and am so happy to see them leading healthy, active lives.”
Eleven year old Andrew Watts (right, with Jim Hinchman, Director of Magic Carpet Aviation) is one of the kids riding on the Magic Jet this year. Andrew was born with a severe heart defect and suffered a heart attack at the tender age of five. Doctors saw little to no hope of his survival, but persistently his parents flew him to Boston and placed him on the transplant list.
Thirteen hours later, Andrew was given a second chance at life. This year, Andrew’s donor family (his heart donor’s parents and siblings) will be traveling all the way to the Games just to cheer him on during his competitions! Andrew will be competing at the 2006 Transplant Games in cycling, 50 meter and soft ball.
Team Florida is one of 50 state and regional teams competing in the 2006 U.S. Transplant Games totaling more than 2,000 participants. The event promises to be the world’s largest-ever gathering of transplants recipients. Nearly 70 transplant recipients from across Florida ranging in age from 3 to 77 will compete in events such as swimming, track and field, tennis, bowling and golf during the five-day event.
Currently, there are more than 85,000 Americans on the national waiting list for organ transplants. In Florida alone, nearly 3,000 men, women and children are awaiting transplants.
“The Transplant Games draw attention to the critical need for increased organ donation in this country.”-Juliet Venzara, Team Florida Manager
For more information about Team Florida or to receive a free organ donor card, contact the National Kidney Foundation of Florida at 1-800-976-0772 or visit www.kidneyfla.org.
