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Team East Tennessee Scouting for Transplant Athletes

Team East Tennessee is scouting for athletes for the 2008 U.S. Transplant Games, sponsored by Novartis (manufacturer of Neoral, a drug that helps minimize the rejection of transplanted organs) and the National Kidney Foundation. An Olympic-style competition for recipients of life-saving transplants of all kinds, the games will be held July 11 – 16, 2008, in Pittsburgh, Pa.

Anyone who has had a successful organ transplant, including kidney, liver, heart, lung, pancreas and bone marrow, for a year, can qualify to become a member of the team. They can compete in sports, which include cycling, bowling, golf, racquetball, swimming and track and field.

To become involved with the team, call Danae Miley, team manager, at 865.688.5481 (Knoxville), 423.323.1650 (Tri-Cities) or 423.267.8655 (Chattanooga).

The 2008 U.S. Transplant Games will call attention to the more than 92,000 Americans who are waiting for a life-saving organ transplant and the desperate need for more organ donors. Each month more than 2,000 names are added to the national organ transplant waiting list. Every day 12 to 16 people die waiting for an organ transplant. Signing up to be an organ donor is as easy as signing the back of your drivers license and then discussing it with your family.

The National Kidney Foundation of East Tennessee is one of 51 affiliates of the National Kidney Foundation Inc., the largest voluntary health agency dedicated to the prevention of kidney and urinary tract disease and increasing the health and well-being of individuals and families affected by these diseases. For more information, visit the National Kidney Foundation of East Tennessee.