130 Philadelphians attend this year’s Transplant Games of America with Gift of Life Donor Program

PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — The 2024 Transplant Games of America opened Friday in Birmingham, Alabama. More than 130 people with the Gift of Life Donor Program’s Team Philly are in attendance, with the goal of spreading awareness about organ transplantation.

David Roberts, 30, gave his 25-year-old brother, Jon, part of his liver in 2020. David said it was a little scary, but he has no regrets.

“Just seeing him achieve life goals as we go forward, it makes me happy and proud,” he said. “I feel a deeper connection when I see him achieve those goals.”

After surgery and recovery, Jon said he was ready to push his body forward. “I feel healthier now than I ever did. I kind of wanted to see what my limits were afterward. So that felt good after.”

The brothers are with Team Philly in Birmingham to compete in their first Transplant Games. Participants range in age from 8 to 78.

“I’m just excited to hear everyone’s story about when they had the transplant, how they feel now versus how they felt before,” Jon said.

“To meet people doing something that we love, such as biking, running, and sharing our similar experiences is going to be a fun and interesting experience,” said David.

The Transplant Games are held every two years. The six-day event includes more than 20 competitions for donor recipients and living donors. It also features dozens of special events that celebrate donors and spread awareness about organ donation.

Philadelphian Bill Soloway received a new heart in 2015, and nine years later, he is participating in his fourth Transplant Games. He learned quickly at his first event in Cleveland in 2016 that it’s about a lot more than competition and medals.

“My focus switched to meeting other people that had a similar journey to mine, and I began making fast friends with transplant recipients throughout the country,” he said.

This year’s games will be extra special for Soloway. The father of his donor is joining him.

“It’s just a special time,” he said. “It’s just such a memorable time. And to have my donor’s father, Jim, with me to experience all of these things that are geared especially to donor families is really the thing that I’m looking forward to the most.”