Living Life and Staying Active
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Brian Clapp is a lifelong athlete. As an avid hiker, climber, and runner, he has completed almost 30 marathons. He is also a father of three and a living kidney donor.
In September 2021, Brian donated a kidney to his son, Noah, who has a genetic disorder called Alport syndrome. Alport syndrome is characterized by kidney disease and hearing loss. While his other children remained untouched by the disorder, Noah’s kidneys were gradually failing throughout his childhood, and Brian knew a transplant was inevitable.
“We got him through elementary school, high school, college, but at 24 he was down to 7 percent function and needed a transplant,” Clapp says.
Clapp made a direct donation to his son and saved his life. Six months later he ran the Boston Marathon.
This journey of resilience is not unique to Clapp’s experience as a living kidney donor. In fact, he’s a member of the board for an organization called Kidney Donor Athletes (KDA), which brings living donors together to demonstrate that they can accomplish any physical challenge that someone with two kidneys can accomplish.
On March 8, Clapp embarked on KDA’s One Kidney Climb, a 10-day trek up Mount Kilimanjaro with 12 other living kidney donors and one transplant surgeon. Per a KDA press release, the climb will take the athletes nearly 20,000 feet in elevation over the course of eight days, and the group will summit the volcano in Tanzania on March 14 — World Kidney Day — in an effort to bring more awareness to the cause.
KDA’s Goal
Kidney Donor Athletes was founded in 2018 as a 501(c)3 nonprofit. Their mission is to promote the gift of life through living kidney donations among active individuals and athletes by building a community that inspires, supports, and educates people about the experience of kidney donation.
According to KDA, there are approximately 97,000 people in need of a kidney transplant in the United States. More than 3,000 people are added to the transplant list every month. With an average wait time of three to five years, 13 people waiting for a kidney transplant die every day. Through initiatives like the One Kidney Climb, KDA aims to bring awareness to these numbers and encourage people to consider living donations.
KDA’s Core Beliefs
Through their core values of community, health, and education, KDA strives to create a world where there are enough living donors to meet the needs of all who require a life-saving kidney.
KDA builds community by welcoming, celebrating, and valuing donors for their individuality, commitment to helping others, and passion for living a healthy, active lifestyle. They support the ongoing health journeys of their members and amplify their voices by sharing their experiences. They also partner with medical and research experts to advocate for kidney donation.
“I see what a difference it’s made in my son’s life,” Clapp says. “He went from 7 percent function and really struggling to do daily activities pre-donation to being active and healthy. He went skiing this winter. He runs. He works. He does all the things that a normal, healthy, 27-year-old would do.”
Benefits of Living Kidney Donations
In addition to quicker, life-saving action, living donations offer a number of benefits to transplant patients.
Kidney donations from living donors last 50 percent longer on average than those from deceased donors, per the KDA press release. Kidneys from living donors also function almost immediately, according to the National Kidney Foundation, because the kidney has been out of the body for a very short time. Sometimes kidneys from deceased donors take longer to function and the patient may still require dialysis in the meantime.
There are three types of living donors: directed donors who give to someone they know, paired donors who swap kidneys to make compatible matches, and nondirected donors who give to a stranger. Each one gives someone in need another chance at life, with paired donors able to save up to eight lives at once.
“It’s just an incredible way to help another human being,” says Clapp. “If I had another kidney to spare I would give another one.”
The benefits of living kidney donations are numerous for both donors and recipients, but the procedure is not without risks. As with any surgery, there is a risk of bleeding or infection and there may be an increased risk of high-blood pressure.
These risks, though potentially serious, are minimal, and according to the National Kidney Foundation, compensatory growth often occurs for the remaining kidney to make up for the initial loss. Clapp, who was 57 when he donated, says his remaining kidney grew by 60 percent within six months.
“It hasn’t slowed me down at all,” Clapp says. “Getting older slows me down, but not the kidney.”
KDA Initiatives
KDA’s aim is to normalize kidney donations and assure people of their ability to lead normal, active lifestyles post donation.
“The fear of negative health outcomes should not be an obstacle for anyone considering this life-saving gift,” says Emily Polet-Monterosso, a KDA group leader and board member.
In an effort to spread the word, KDA has hosted two other One Kidney Climbs since its founding in 2018. The first was in March 2022 and 20 donors climbed Kilimanjaro, while the second took place in Guatemala in December 2023 where 18 donors climbed three volcanoes.
“We want to let people know that big things are possible after you donate,” Clapp says. “You can be as active or even more active than you were before.”
This year’s group is made up of 13 donors and 1 transplant surgeon from around the United States and Canada. They are a diverse group of people of different ages and backgrounds who share one important characteristic; they’ve all donated a kidney.
As Clapp set out for the climb, he reflected on his son, Noah, who he says he is honoring on this adventure.
“He’s my biggest cheerleader on this climb,” Clapp says. “My kidney will last somewhere between 10 and 20 years if all goes well for him. But if you do the math, he’s 27, so he’ll need another one. I want to make sure I get the word out and create more awareness so that when he needs the next one, there are more people aware and they can fill that need with very little downside for them.”
You can follow the One Kidney Climb on the Kidney Donor Athletes on Instagram.
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