UK HealthCare Hosting Transplant Games Flag this Thursday

LEXINGTON, Ky. (March 14, 2016) – The Transplant Games of America's National Flag Tour will stop at UK HealthCare this Thursday, March 17, to celebrate organ donors and recipients on its way to the 2016 Games in Cleveland this June.

The Transplant Games of America (TGA) is an Olympics-style sport festival held every two years to show how transplants can transform lives. To compete, participants must be either transplant recipients, living donors, or a member of a donor family.

Prior to the TGA, the official flags of the event travel across the country to help raise awareness of organ donation and of the event itself. The flags are also signed by the members of each state's TGA team. Members of Team Kentucky will be present to sign the flag this Thursday.

Karen Michul, a UK HealthCare employee and living kidney donor, will be participating in the Games for the second time this year, competing in several bowling events.

"Seeing the comraderie of the donor families and recipients at the Games is amazing," Michul said. "And some of these people are meeting for the first time! It's an emotional ride."

The flag will be on display and available for Team Kentucky to sign this Thursday at 10 a.m. inside the atrium of University of Kentucky Albert B. Chandler Hospital Pavilion A. Attendees are encouraged to wear blue and green, the colors of the Donate Life organization. Following the flag-signing and a few short remarks, attendees are encouraged to stay for a short photo session to celebrate the gift of life.

Registering to become a donor is the most effective way to ensure you can save lives through donation and serves as a sign of hope to those who continue to wait. Everyone can register as a donor today at www.donatelifeky.org or by saying “YES” when you renew your driver’s license.

UK is the University for Kentucky. At UK, we are educating more students, treating more patients with complex illnesses and conducting more research and service than at any time in our 150-year history. To read more about the UK story and how you can support continued investment in your university and the Commonwealth, go to: uky.edu/uk4ky. #uk4ky #seeblue