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t m c » p u l s e | j u ly 2 0 1 4 20 Living donors are also actively involved in the games, representing those who have donated a kidney to a friend, loved one or even stranger. Charlene Murphy received a kidney from her brother shortly after his eighteenth birthday. He had counted down the days, determined to give her the chance to watch her young chil- dren grow up. She will be running the 5K alongside her donor. "He said no matter how fast or how slow I go, he will be right there beside me so that both kidneys will cross the finish line at the same time," she said. Portell and Murphy are just two of the more than 2,900 recipients, donors and families registered to compete, and the number continues to grow. But the event is about more than just the com- petition. Over the course of the games, participants are encouraged to take part in a number of special events designed to help members of the transplant community connect and share stories of hope and life after donation and transplantation. One of those events is the donor tribute, an event Ryan calls "the single most emotional moment of the games." Sheree Jones will be taking part in the donor tribute, honoring her son Chad, and those she has come to know through the Organ Donation Hall of Fame, a website she started to recognize deceased and living donors. She and her family will be carrying that torch to the donor tribute, in the form of a Hall of Fame display. Heart transplant recipient Kevin Spencer will also be there. As a two- time recipient treated twice by O. H. "Bud" Frasier, M.D., of the Texas Heart Institute, Spencer feels fortunate to still be living, and loving, life. He recognizes that his second, and third, chances came from the selflessness of strangers. "I marvel at times that I have gone through so much and I am still here enjoying life. That two people have had their lives cut short and yet I live," said Spencer. "The odds were against me, but I owe it to my Lord Jesus and living in Houston where the cutting edge of cardio technology was happen- ing, that I got my many chances at life. I would tell anyone who isn't a regis- tered organ donor, that they have the ability to give a great gift of life not to just the one who receives the organ, but to their family." Donor mom Shannon Lenox feels strongly that the best way an organ recipient can honor their donor is to live each day with passion and purpose. Lenox's son, Roy Heck, was a lover of life. He was an adventurer, an outdoors- man, a best friend to a young neighbor with Down syndrome, and a friendly face for families impacted by Hurricane Ike. Even before his tragic death in 2010, Heck was a hero to so many who knew him. But his legacy changed just a bit the day his heart gave Michael Nall a second chance at life. Lenox has met and spent time with Nall and his family. She says it helps bring peace, to know that her son's self- lessness in life has continued on after his passing. She will be there to cheer on Nall as he competes in the ballroom dancing and darts events, and they will honor Heck's memory during the donor tribute. "Roy lived his life to the fullest," said Lenox. "He had a short time to live a lifetime, and that's what he did every day. To know that Roy's heart still beats, even though he's not the one carrying it…and to see Michael as a father, a grandfather and a husband, and to know that he gets to have that second chance, it just solidifies that during the darkest point of my life, I made the right decision. "There was nothing else that I could do to save Roy here on Earth, but for him to be able to give others that chance to spend time with their families, and just live life…there are no words." There was nothing else that I could do to save Roy here on Earth, but for him to be able to give others that chance to spend time with their families, and just live life…there are no words. — SHANNON LENOX Donor Mom TOP: Team Texas Manager Brian Gilliam, left, and Co-Manager Donna Esposito, see the games as an opportunity to encourage organ donor registration. (Credit: Terry Vine Photography) CENTER AND BOTTOM: Members of Team Texas will take part in some of the 18 games featured at this year's Transplant Games of America. (Credit: Donna Esposito)