A rousing rendition of the National Anthem, sung by kidney recipient Sammy Arena, brought John Davis, Chief Exececutive Officer of the National Kidney Foundation, to the stage. Davis welcomed those assembled and said, "During this week, all of you have demonstrated extraordinary efforts and simple kindnesses, competition, and camaraderie. You have shown people all over the world that transplantation really works and that donation plays a critical role in how far you have come."

Following a beautiful song of prayer led by Games participants Kim Montalvo and Matt Stocke -- who received a nice round of applause when it was announced that he had appeared on Broadway in "The Full Monty" -- Davis commenced the presentation of a series of special awards. First he introduced Dr. Brian Pereira of the New England Health Care Foundation to present the American Society of Transplantation's Outstanding Achievement Award, which is given to one young and one adult transplant athlete who has performed exemplary work in raising awareness of the critical need for organ and tissue donation. The "18 and under" award was presented to Chris Truxaw of Team Southern California, and Team Philadelphia's -- and TransWeb's own -- Jim Gleason recieved the "Over 18" honor. In presenting the award to Gleason, a heart recipient, Dr. Pereira said, "God bless your kind heart, and we mean it.

An emotional Gleason responded: "To all of you, and to all our supporters and friends, I share my heart with you."

Other honors and awards followed:
The Musculoskeletal Transplant Foundation awarded the MTF DonorCARE Award -- for outstanding support of donor families -- to Michigan's Penny Colthurst and to Philadelphia's Eileen Glass.
The Mickey Mantle Courage Award, which recognizes those who overcome great challenges to participate in the Games, was presented to six-year-old Cody Monroe.
The TransAction Award, a new Games award intended to honor those who embody the NKF's mission of making life better, was presented to the family of the late Kelly Helms.

The Outstanding Female Athlete of the 2002 Games: West Tennessee's Juanna Boyland
The Outstanding Male Athlete of the 2002 Games: Northern California's Tom Glennon
2002 U.s Transplant Games Team Competition Winner: Team Rocky Mountain

The loving and giving spirit of the transplantation community was on full display during a terrific week filled with competition and camaraderie, and now it was time to say so long until next time, and to give thanks to so many. Donors and donor famlies were first on the list. The Games' many fine sponsors were also roundly applauded, including the National Kidney Foundation and the founding sponsor, Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation. (The entire TransWeb crew was also mentioned!)

A moving video highlights show of this week's events and festivities was diplayed on the stadium's Jumbotron, followed by a moment of silence in memory of those who were unable to attend this year's Games. And at that point, it was time to look ahead. Colleen Horan, the U.S. Counsellor for the World Transplant Games, provided a brief preview of the upcoming 2003 World Games in Nancy, France, and the traditional passing of the U.S. Transplant Games flag was concluded.