PSC Community Shines at the Transplant Games of America

The Transplant Games of America (TGA) recently held their biennial celebration of transplant recipients, donors, and donor families in Denver, Colorado. PSC Partners, headquartered in the Denver area, was a sponsor of this year’s TGA, and several PSC Partners community members attended the Games to compete and share in the celebration.

With 20 competitive and recreational opportunities on the Olympic-style program, and 16 special events and honor programs, attendees had plenty to choose from. Whether they participated in just one or many events, our community members came away from the June Games inspired and encouraged.

Yvette Matthews, a 2013 liver transplant recipient, has attended seven TGAs and four World Transplant Games. She took full advantage of this year’s offerings, participating in a dozen activities and earning top medals in several track and field events. A former North Carolina resident now living in Alabama, Yvette competed for Team North Carolina.

One unique event in which Yvette participated was the Guinness World Record challenge. Transplant recipients and living donors came together en masse one day to try to break the record for the number of such individuals gathered in one place at the same time. The bid was successful, setting a new record of 966. Overall, 2,000 recipients and donors competed over the TGA’s six-day schedule, and total attendance was estimated to be 12,000.

Yvette, a long-time PSC Partners conference attendee and volunteer, said, “I always look forward to TGA because I get to see friends I’ve made over the years. It is an indescribable feeling to be among almost 2000 people all connected with organ, eye, and tissue donation. If you think about how you feel at a PSC Partners conference, multiply that feeling by ten, and you may begin to get what it feels like to go to the Transplant Games of America.”

Brothers Todd and Scott Clouser, who live near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and compete for Team Alleghenies, entered the singles and doubles divisions of the TGA golf tournament. Todd, a four-time liver transplant recipient, just received a kidney transplant in August 2025 as well. Scott is a living donor, having donated part of his liver to Todd in 2003.

This was the pair’s first Games experience, but they pulled off gold (Scott) and silver (Todd) medals in their respective singles events and together brought home bronze in the doubles event. “Competing alongside Todd made it more fun,” Scott said, “and it was a good reminder of how much is possible post-transplant. It was a good event overall, well organized, and good to be around other transplant recipients and donors and hear their stories. I hope to attend future games and compete in more events.”

Kathy Lynch, a 2019 liver transplant recipient, experienced her first Games as well. The proximity of the Denver location to her home 30 minutes away made it possible to fulfill her longtime wish to attend.

Kathy participated in the community 5k Run/Walk open event. She also explored the TGA Expo, which showcased an array of organizations and advocates dedicated to the transplant community, and she connected with PSC Partners staff members at their resource table in the TGA Village.

“I enjoyed being around all of the fellow transplant recipients,” Kathy said. “Overall, the atmosphere was so joyful and supportive. I would love to attend another Transplant Games in the future!”

PSC Partners staff members Anna Beck and Kayt Martinez enjoyed the TGA festivities from their table location central to several activities. “The Transplant Games were so much fun,” said Anna. “You could feel the excitement and energy everywhere you went. It was incredibly inspiring to see transplant recipients celebrating life and just as inspiring to see the amazing family members and friends who were there cheering them on every step of the way.”

The Transplant Games of America are produced by the Transplant Life Foundation. The next TGA event will be held in 2028 in St. Paul, Minnesota. Read more about the TGA.