MINNEAPOLIS 3 men medal in Transplant Games

Carl Patrizi of Sharon, Nick Carson of Poland and Fred Girscht of Salem made it to the podium.
By MARALINE KUBIK
VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER
YOUNGSTOWN -- After beating life-threatening illnesses, three local men beat the competition to win medals in the U.S. Transplant Games, Olympic-style competitions for transplant recipients.
Carl Patrizi of Sharon, Pa., won a gold medal in the doubles racquetball competition. His basketball team also won bronze medals.
Nick Carson of Poland won a gold medal in the 50-meter butterfly swimming event and Fred Girscht of Salem won a silver medal in the individual golf competition.
The Transplant Games, held in Minneapolis July 27-Aug. 1, attracted some 1,600 athletes this year.
Credits son
Patrizi first competed in the Transplant Games in 2002, winning silver medals in singles racquetball and open-league basketball. He returned to the games this year, he said, to continue "to show people that organ donations work and you can do things after transplant." He also was drawn to the event by the camaraderie among fellow recipients and families of donors.
Patrizi received a kidney-pancreas transplant Oct. 7, 2000 and credits his 17-year-old son, Dustin, with helping him keep fit and prepare for the games.
"My son was a big inspiration," he said. Before his transplant, Patrizi said, Dustin would urge him to "just play catch for a while." It was difficult he said, because his illness and the need for dialysis zapped his energy.
Now, Patrizi said, he and his son golf together regularly, play racquetball and basketball. "He's always doing something with me to keep me going."
"Carrying a donor card," Patrizi said, "changes people's lives."
Being at the games changes lives too.
"Being at the games had more impact on me than the competition," Girscht said.
First time competitor
He received a kidney-pancreas transplant in March 27, 2001 and participated in the Transplant Games this year for the first time.
"Meeting all the transplant recipients and donor families, that was very emotional," Girscht said. "I've never contacted my donor family, but I'm definitely going to do it now."
A heart recipient Girscht met at the games met the mother of his donor at the games. "She wanted to hear his heart," Girscht said.
Hopefully, Girscht said, participating in the games will help draw attention to the need for organ donors and prompt more people to carry donor cards.
The U.S. Transplant Games take place every two years. In alternating years, World Transplant Games take place, bringing together transplant recipients and donor families from around the world.
For more information on becoming an organ donor, call LifeBanc at 1 (888) 752-LIFE (5433) or log on to www.lifebanc.org.
kubik@vindy.com