About Us
THE NATIONAL KIDNEY FOUNDATION
Who We Are
The National Kidney Foundation (NKF) is dedicated to preventing kidney diseases, improving the health and well-being of individuals and families affected by these diseases and increasing the availability of all organs for transplantation.
With more than 50 local offices nationwide, the NKF provides early detection screenings and other vital patient and community services. The Foundation conducts extensive public and professional education, advocates for patients through legislative action, promotes organ donation and supports kidney research to identify new treatments.
In 2009 NKF launched a groundbreaking multifaceted collaborative initiative to "End the Wait!" for a kidney transplant in the United States in 10 years by using proven strategies to eliminate barriers to donation and institute best practices across the country.
Important contributions include:
- Helping establish the Uniform Anatomical Gift Act, and initiating the Uniform Donor Card, 1968.
- Prompting action in all 50 states to enact driver’s license legislation providing for organ donor designation.
- Collaborating with Congress to create National Organ & Tissue Donor Awareness Week, 1983.
- Working to pass the Transplant Act, which prohibits the sale of organs, 1984.
- Founding the very first national organization for donor families, 1992.
- Fostering the concept of transplant athletics, leading to the creation of the NKF U.S. Transplant Games, 1990.
- Managing Team USA to represent America’s finest transplant athletes at world events 1992.
- Helping establish the Organ Donation and Recovery Improvement Act, 2004.
- Helping establish the Charlie W. Norwood Living Donation Act, 2007
For more information, please visit the official NKF website: www.kidney.org
NKF U.S. TRANSPLANT GAMES
Thirty years ago, the idea of kidney or heart transplant recipients running a 50-meter-dash or swimming the butterfly stroke across a 25-meter pool was unthinkable. Even today, such a feat seems like a miracle.
But in 1982, a group of brave and determined transplant athlete pioneers gathered in Texas for the first regional U.S. Transplant Games and began changing the way people thought about transplant patients. The two-day athletic competition for transplant recipients served to dramatically demonstrate the life-restoring success of transplantation.
Though small in scope, the Texas Games paved the way for future events. The next regional U.S. Transplant Games were held in Minnesota in 1988, with 70 participants hailing primarily from the Midwest.
In 1990, the National Kidney Foundation took on the management and organization of the U.S. Transplant Games, along with the event's co-founder Sandoz Pharmaceuticals Corporation, now Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation. Held in Indianapolis that year, the first-ever national event drew a record 400 transplant athletes from all over the country.
In addition to the rehabilitative benefits of this athletic competition, the U.S. Transplant Games provided a unique opportunity for transplant recipients to gather and share experiences, kindle friendships and celebrate their "ultimate second chance" at life while paying tribute to those who make it all possible--the donor families.
The National Kidney Foundation (NKF) continues to organize this biennial Olympic-style event, which now includes 13 different sports competitions, and special programming for donor families and living donors. The sporting events are not limited to transplant recipients, as living donors will now be able to participate in the track and field events. The Games have been held in Los Angeles, Atlanta, Salt Lake City, Columbus, Orlando, Louisville and Pittsburgh, growing significantly each time. In July 2008, a record-breaking gathering of 7,000 people, 1,200 of whom were transplant athletes from all 50 states converged in Pittsburgh, PA, for the National Kidney Foundation 2008 U.S. Transplant Games. More than 1,500 athletes are expected for the 2010 U.S. Transplant Games to be held in Madison, Wisconsin.
In addition to planning national competitions, the National Kidney Foundation is also helping American transplant athletes make their mark on the international transplant athletics scene. The Foundation manages Team USA's delegation to the summer and Winter World Transplant Games, where athletes compete against transplant recipients representing countries throughout the world.
The purposes of the NKF U.S. Transplant Games are:
- To demonstrate to the public the collective and individual successes of the life-restoring therapy of organ transplantation.
- To utilize the media to promote the success of organ donation and transplantation.
- To call attention to the need for organ donation through events and support activity before, during, and after the event.
- To contribute to the successful rehabilitation of the nation’s transplant patient community.
- To involve the entire transplant community including physicians, allied professionals, patients, donor families, living donors and related organizations in a collaborative effort for the benefit of organ donation.
- To provide an opportunity for these goals to be achieved locally by NKF Affiliates and other participating organizations.
