Faces of the Games
JOSH HUGG, 35 & KATE HUGG,33
San Mateo, California
Diagnosed with liver disease as a boy, Josh Hugg always knew that one day his liver might fail. Luckily, his health remained fine throughout his childhood, and he enjoyed playing sports, fooling around with his two older brothers and teasing Kate, his little sister. As time went on, however, he felt his body slowing down. By the time he was 30, doctors put his name on the list for a liver transplant. While he waited, he was hospitalized several times to undergo procedures that would help him keep his liver for as long as possible. But then Josh received more bad news. A test showed that he possessed markers for a type of bile duct cancer. If Josh developed cancer, he would no longer be eligible for a transplant.
With the wait for deceased donors longer than ever, Josh considered living donation. His family held a discussion and Kate volunteered to become his donor. "It seemed logical," recalls Josh, "because we were really closer to each other than I was to my two older brothers while we were growing up." Kate, a nurse, was tested and turned out to be a compatible match. But there was one more obstacle facing them. Kate needed to lose 30 pounds before doctors would agree to perform the surgery. Her extra weight, they believed, would make the surgery too risky. Kate was determined to help her brother and got to work dieting and exercising. In three months, she shed the weight.
In May 2003, brother and sister underwent surgery, and Kate spent her 30th birthday in the hospital. Both recovered quickly. Kate, her husband and two-year-old stayed with Josh and his wife until Kate was strong enough to travel across the country to her home in Philadelphia. Josh returned to work within two months and Kate in three. In 2004 he attended his first National Kidney Foundation Transplant Games where he won medals in swimming, badminton and volleyball. This year Josh will return in the Transplant Games, which will be held in Louisville in June and compete for more gold and silver while Kate cheers him on.
