Hawaii team wins 9 medals
at U.S. Transplant Games

A team of 12 Hawaii athletes in the recent U.S. Transplant Games in Minneapolis, Minn., won a total of nine medals in several age and gender divisions.

Nine-year-old Ray Agaran, Jr., known as "RJ," who received a kidney from his father four years ago, won two gold medals in his age group in the boys' 50-meter dash and boys' long jump.

It was his second time at the games, and he was selected to represent Hawaii at a Donor Recognition Ceremony.

Martin Hee, Castle High School track and field coach, took a gold medal in the men's softball throw and a silver in the men's long jump.

Abby Lorica and Sandy Webster repeated a gold medal win in women's doubles tennis and received silver medals in singles competition.

Rachael Wong took a bronze medal in women's singles tennis and Calvin Nakamoto won a silver medal in men's table tennis.

The participation of the transplant recipients in the Olympic-like Games was sponsored by the National Kidney Foundation of Hawaii.

The national foundation holds the athletic events every two years to promote organ and tissue donation.

"It's also an opportunity to honor the extraordinary generosity of donors and donor families who make transplantation possible by providing the 'Gift of Life' to some of the more than 86,000 people in need of a life-saving organ transplant." said Glen Hayashida, chief executive officer of the Hawaii organization.

For more transplant information, go to www.unos.org.