athlete
COMMUNITY /// HEALTH /// EDUCATION
LIFE CHANGING STORIES
Our Mission ///
Kidney Donor Athletes promotes the gift of life through living kidney donation among active individuals and athletes by building a community that inspires, supports, and educates people about the experience of kidney donation.
GET INVOLVED ///
Share Your Story
Support One Kidney Climb
Become a KDA Champion
Find a KDA Champion
One Kidney Climb: Kilimanjaro 2022
One Kidney
Kili Climb
To promote the gift of life through living donation, 13 kidney donors and one transplant surgeon will represent Kidney Donor Athletes (KDA) and summit Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania! KDA is using this climb to bring awareness to living donation, demonstrate what is possible post-donation, and to launch initiatives which inspire, support and educate people about the experience of living donation. We envision a world where there are enough living donors to meet the needs of all who require a life saving kidney transplant.
Considering Kidney Donation?
MEET OUR KIDNEY DONOR ATHLETES
Meet Kidney Donor Athlete, Liza!
I’m a pescatarian, asthmatic retired educator with adult children. Although I’ve always been active, I don’t tend to think of myself as an “athlete” since I don’t like to compete. The back of the pack is the place for me. My running resume includes a ton of 5 &...
Meet Kidney Donor Athlete, Karl!
My name is Karl Ludwig, and I donated my left kidney to my college instructor (now good friend and brother) Aaron on September 1, 2023. I am an avid rock climber, but my love for being active, especially in the outdoors, extends in many directions. Currently I like to...
Meet Kidney Donor Athlete, Cara!
My name is Cara Syth and I am a runner and kidney donor from Menomonie, Wisconsin. I didn’t start running until later in life. At age 35, I had low back pain and a deconditioned core. I wasn’t feeling great and was not very physically active. I decided that something...
Meet Kidney Donor Athlete, Joan!
I’m 69 years old. When I was 55 I donated a kidney to a man who, at the start of things, was a stranger to me.In 1950s and 60s, athletic pursuits for girls were uncommon, or even nonexistent. That void included me. By the time I was twenty-five years old and...
Meet Kidney Donor Athlete, Molly!
My name is Molly Von Lindern and I’m 29 years old. On February 23rd, 2023, I donated my left kidney to my mom. It was a laparoscopic robotic surgery done by the amazing transplant team at New York-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center in New York City. This...
Meet Kidney Donor Athlete, James!
I’m James Carder from Cumming, GA and I became a living kidney donor on 9/29/23 at 62 years of age. I donated my left kidney via direct donation to my college friend and fraternity brother Dan. Dan and I have known each other since 1980 and were both members of Sigma...
KDA MERCHANDISE
Want to celebrate kidney donation by sporting some unique merchandise? You’ve come to the right place! Wearing a KDA shirt, drinking out of a KDA mug, or walking through the airport with a KDA backpack is a sure way to spark a conversation about living kidney donation.
Discover Kidney Donor Athletes
By Location
If you see this after your page is loaded completely, leafletJS files are missing.
Tell Your story
Are you a donor athlete that wants to share your story? Great!