Joe G. Cramer -- United States

Age: 55

Transplant: Kidney, 1991

Hometown: New Holland, PA

Events: Long jump, 100- and 200-meter dashes, 50-meter freestyle swim, and 5-KM racewalk

Joe's Story: (by Joan Decker, from the Sunday News, Lancaster, PA, 9/21/97) The victory does not always go to the swiftest, but to the one who has the determination to finish. Such has been the motto of organ recipient Joe G. Cramer, who plans to compete in this year's XI World Transplant Games Sept. 29 through October 5 in Sydney, Australia. While he is going for the gold, Cramer's mission is to celebrate life, or what he refers to as a "second chance," as well as spreading the good word about transplant recipients.

"It's an honor to participate," said Cramer, who joins TEAM USA, a group that is limited to only 150 athletes. He is one of eight athletes from Pennsylvania. There will be 1,500 participants, from age 6 to 60, in 40 different sports. "While I like to win, the neat part about the event is the friendship and fun," he said.

After learning about the games in 1991 when he had his kidney transplant, Cramer decided to try out his new lease on life. He participated in the 1993 World Transplant Games in Vancouver, British Columbia, and the 1994 National Transplant Games in Atlanta. In the 1994 games, he received bronze medals in the long jump and the 400-meter relay. "It was incredible to see the participants and think that everyone had an organ transplant of every imaginable kind -- heart, lung, liver, kidney, pancreas, even bone marrow," he said.

Since the 1994 games, he has been saving his money for the Australian Games. "I'm looking forward to seeing some of my friends from past (Transplant) Olympics," he said. At this year's games, he will wear his lucky hat. "When I decided to go, I began a search for a Crocodile Dundee hat," he said. The F & M Hat Factory in Denver, which doesn't usually sell to the public, custom-made and sponsored his hat.

Cramer's wife, Sylvia, said her husband raced through life-threatening hurdles before his transplant. In 1970, he survived a 60-foot fall from a collapsed scaffolding. He suffer[ed] several broken bones, and was confined to a wheelchair. The accident also left him with one leg two inches shorter than the other. "They even thought they would have to amputate his leg," Sylvia said. With support from family and friends, however, he managed to lick this adversity with extensive rehabilitation.

Some years later, he overcame a bout with pneumonia, only to face a condition of rapidly progressive glomerulonephritis, a type of kidney disease. "I thank God everyday for the generosity of my organ donor and his family," he said. In appreciation for his new lease on life, Cramer can be found locally at fairs manning "organ transplant" stands, as well as giving talks at schools.