JMU student competes in games

Amid the first week of school hustle and bustle, everyone still has one eye open on the Olympic games in Athens, Greece. Students are checking to see how many gold medals the United States wins each day.
Imagine a similar competition, except this one’s held locally.

In Minneapolis, Minn. the Transplant Games, set up in Olympic-style events, is held every two years by the National Kidney Foundation, as well several other sponsors such as Novartis Pharmaceuticals and Roche Pharmaceuticals.

Over 2,000 transplant recipients of all ages gathered this past summer in Minneapolis from July 27 to Aug. 1, and competed in several different events for gold, silver and bronze medals. The difference between the Olympic Games and the Transplant Games, however, is the participants in the Transplant Games are competing for the celebration of life.

Evin Shoap, a 20-year old junior, received a heart transplant when he was a freshman in high school. He competed in six events at the Transplant Games, including team basketball, team volleyball, the 50-meter breaststroke and freestyle, and the 100-meter backstroke and freestyle. Shoap earned three goals medals and one silver medal during competition.

"I am happy I walked away with four medals," Shoap said. "But I am even happier that I was able to compete at all this year."

Shoap had competed in the 2000 games, however, in training for the 2002 games, he suffered a very serious rejection of his new heart and spent roughly seven months recovering, thus leaving him unable to compete that summer.

Shoap is now fully recovered and active. He commented on the real meaning of the games.

"It feels good to b able to get to do the stuff that I love to do," Shoap said. "But these games are not about winning and losing, they are about the donors and their families giving people like me a second chance on life."

The foundation raises money for the games by working with competing team members. Shoap raised a total of $500 for the 2004 Transplant Games and has already started on his funds for 2006, in which he plans to raise one million dollars.

Roughly 85,000 people each year await organ transplants. Only thirty percent of those people actually receive the transplants they need, and another 600 people die each year.

For more information or to make a donation visit the foundation’s website at www.kidney.org.