| There are three generations of
the family here for their second family trip to the Transplant
Games: Jackie, her daughter, her mother (now 72), and her
aunts (ages 74 and 78).
Jackie has been busy at the 2000 Games, competing in not
only bicycling, but also volleyball, basketball, the softball
throw, and the shot put.
When Jackie isn't busy with the Games, she teaches 6th
grade, works with a 4-H Club, serves as a peer counselor
for other transplant recipients and families, is a volunteer
speaker with the organ procurement organization in Sacramento,
is a volunteer fundraiser University of California at Davis,
raising money for transplant research.
In her fundraising efforts she helped design a teddy bear
which is given to post-operative transplant patients (the
bear comes complete with round tummy and cheeks). The bear
also serves as her companion and good luck charm at the
Games.
Jackie's mom was the oldest living donor at UC-Davis to
date. She was 69 when she donated and as she tells it, had
to convince the transplant team to consider her as a donor.
They were a bit skeptical given her age, but she passed
all the tests with flying colors, underwent laparoscopic
nephrectomy, and two weeks later was back to normal activities.
In fact, the two went to a horse show the week after their
surgery.
Not much slows Jackie down! Even before her transplant,
she never missed a day of school. She credits her ability
to keep going to the support she got from her students and
their parents. They kept her going when she didn't feel
well after dialysis. Jackie's transplant was scheduled to
take place right after the end of the school year so she
could be recovered in time to join in an annual school trip
to Yosemite ten weeks later. You can bet she made the trip.
As she says, "We have our transplants to get back to life!"
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