GIVING BACK

A JOURNEY TO RECOVERY

Nonprofit offers organ transplant recipient hope and common ground

BY ANNIE CLARK

One Sunday afternoon, toward the end of 2020, I felt profoundly sick in a way I had never experienced before. My symptoms did not match those common with COVID-19 that the Center for Disease Control and Prevention had been discussing on TV for weeks but, not wanting to take any chances, I did something rather out of character and decided to go to the doctor. Immediately.

The sky was a bleak sheet of grey that day in Washington, D.C., and the wind whipped briskly as I, in this weakened state, climbed the stairs of my basement apartment and attempted to walk toward the sidewalk to no avail. I swallowed my pride and called an Uber to drive me 1 mile to MedStar Washington Hospital Center. Once in front of the ER sign, I slowly made my way through the doors and into the waiting room. I checked in, experiencing what I thought were bad, potentially coronavirus-related body aches, and subsequently passed out.

After a couple months of lying unconscious and intubated, I groggily opened my eyes to fuzzy faces trying to talk to me. I learned that my body had gone into organ failure. I had been moved to a different hospital and, among other things, had received a life-saving organ transplant. My journey to recovery was only beginning. COMMON GROUND—AND GOALS I was transported to the in-patient rehabilitation center at MedStar Georgetown University Hospital, and between physical therapy sessions I spent time Googling both transplant articles and organizations in North Carolina—where I would move once I was stable enough—that could support me as I came to terms with everything that had happened.

In my search, one organization stood out from the rest: North Carolina Transplant Athletes, or Team NC. The website read: “North Carolina Transplant Athletes is a group of organ recipients, caregivers, living donors, donor family members and others in the transplant community who raise awareness for organ donation while fundraising to travel to the Transplant Games of America every two years.” I knew I wanted to reach out to them.

Because I had been a competitive soccer player most of my life in North Carolina, and then coached kids in Washington, D.C., playing sports again was what I craved. But that was a far cry from the wheelchair I could barely sit in without pain. Motivated to not be in this condition forever, I crafted an email to the nonprofit, and shortly thereafter received a warm welcome from NCTA’s team manager, Laura Smith.

I soon met other members of the team— transplant patients from all walks of life who had been brought together because they had also needed a new organ to survive. At my first virtual meeting I met Darryl Ellis, who answered all my newbie transplant questions; Phelicia Price, an economics professor and inspiring yoga aficionado; John Laisure, a pediatric nephrologist who would become my pickleball partner; and so many other remarkable individuals. Each

PHOTO OF ANNIE CLARK BY JEFF LIPSKY

person had a unique story, and everyone was excited to go to the Transplant Games of America later this year.

I moved back to the Triangle region earlier in 2022 and, alongside my new team, will be participating in my first sports competition as a transplant athlete July 29–August 3 in this year’s host city, San Diego. Because NCTA believes cost should not be a barrier for post-transplant patients working to educate folks about organ donation, we are always fundraising to help ensure people who want to participate have financial access, and we are so thankful for those who have helped us so far.

FILLING THE GAP While I am incredibly fortunate to be alive to compete, thanks to my donor, so many people are not as lucky. I’ve learned that at any given time in the U.S., just under 106,000 people are on waiting lists to receive an organ, according to organdonor.gov. On average, 17 people pass away every day while waiting to receive a transplant.

Although the numbers are daunting, there is hope. Through organ donation, one person has the potential to save eight lives and enhance the lives of 75 others. According to Donate Life America, while 95% of U.S. adults support organ donation, only 54% are actually registered as donors. We need to fill that gap.

While most people think of being a donor as something that happens after one passes away, living donation is another thing to consider. For example, the most commonly needed organ is a kidney. Most people are born with two, and healthy people only need one.

As a registered donor, I never dreamed I would be a recipient, but because someone had a conversation with their child about donation, I am here today. Talk to your friends and family about organ donation. Signing up is easy. Individuals can designate their intention to donate on their drivers’ license and can register at donatelifenc.org. The North Carolina community has been so instrumental in my support, and my hope is that through NCTA and similar programs, we can continue to be that community for others who are impacted by a transplant need or donation. For more information about North Carolina Transplant Athletes, visit nctalife.org.

PHOTO OF TRANSPLANT ATHLETES CELEBRATING COURTESY OF NCTA