{"id":3488,"date":"2026-06-15T12:04:19","date_gmt":"2026-06-15T12:04:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tampamovingjournal.com\/?p=3488"},"modified":"2026-06-15T12:04:19","modified_gmt":"2026-06-15T12:04:19","slug":"florida-woman-competes-in-transplant-games-of-america-30-years-after-rare-lifesaving-surgery","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tampamovingjournal.com\/?p=3488","title":{"rendered":"Florida woman competes in Transplant Games of America 30 years after rare lifesaving surgery"},"content":{"rendered":"

DENVER, Colo.<\/strong> – <\/span>A Florida woman is gearing up to head to Denver this Thursday for a weeklong competition at the Transplant Games of America, carrying a deep personal history that television viewers first witnessed three decades ago.<\/p>

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Kim Jacques, a 1996 heart and double-lung transplant recipient, will represent Team Florida as a co-manager and competitor in the upcoming Olympic-style games. For Jacques, the competition serves as a moving reminder of the gift of life and the critical need for organ donors across the country.<\/p>

Florida transplant recipient journey<\/strong><\/h2>

The backstory:<\/p>

<\/div>

Thousands of competitors are finalizing their preparations for the Transplant Games of America, an Olympic-style tournament that takes place every two years. The athletic event, which began 33 years ago, is open to both donor recipients and donor families, offering friendly competition alongside a shared understanding of lifesaving medical transformations.<\/p>

“It is a family reunion,” Jacques said. “Someone gets you that someone else in the outside world doesn’t fully comprehend.”<\/p>

Jacques has been a part of this community since 2002. FOX 13 first shared her story 30 years ago following her rare surgery in June 1996, when she was a 16-year-old recovering from a heart and double-lung transplant.<\/p>

\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n <\/div>

At the time, Jacques recalled the physical toll of her illness.<\/p>

“I couldn\u2019t really go outside, cause even the humidity got me tired,” Jacques said.<\/p>

Jacques also cherished the support of her peers, noting how “other transplant kids that were there signed my shirt.”<\/p>

Sweetwater medical advocacy<\/h2>

What they’re saying:<\/p>

After searching online, Jacques met her donor’s family nine years ago.\u00a0<\/p>

“There\u2019s so much I wouldn\u2019t be here for if it wasn\u2019t for my donor family\u2019s \u2018yes,\u2019” Jacques said.<\/p>

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Jacques uses the platform to navigate what she calls the bittersweet emotions of survival.<\/p>

“They understand the bittersweet emotions that we recipients feel in the weeks and days leading up to the anniversary, where we\u2019re like, \u2018Yay another year,\u2019 but at the same time, \u2018Oh wait,\u2019 because for a lot of us death has to occur for us to be here,” Jacques said.\u00a0<\/p>

Urgent medical waiting list<\/strong><\/h2>

By the numbers:<\/p>

The event highlights an ongoing public health crisis regarding the severe national shortage of available organs for transplant. Jacques emphasized that more than 100,000 people remain on the official waiting list, with a new name added every 10 minutes.<\/p>

The stakes remain incredibly high for families waiting on a match, as Jacques says an average of 18 people die every single day while waiting for a transplant.<\/p>

“One of those 18 could be your favorite grocer at the supermarket,” Jacques said. “It could be a parent at your kid\u2019s school. You could be giving that missing puzzle piece and not even be aware of it.”<\/p>

Upcoming matchups<\/h2>

What’s next:<\/p>

The Transplant Games of America start this Thursday in Denver and will run for a full week. Jacques will be actively competing for medals and points in both cornhole and trivia.<\/p>

\n
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Jacques says her personal motivation stretches far beyond physical prizes.<\/p>

“Some of them are sad because they involve people that have passed away, but for me, they give me more motivation to keep on going,” Jacques said.<\/p>

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A Florida woman is gearing up to head to Denver this Thursday for a weeklong competition at the Transplant Games of America, carrying a deep personal history that television viewers first witnessed three decades ago.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3485,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[25,49],"tags":[26,51],"class_list":["post-3488","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-florida","category-health","tag-florida","tag-health"],"yoast_head":"\nFlorida woman competes in Transplant Games of America 30 years after rare lifesaving surgery - Tampa moving journal<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/tampamovingjournal.com\/?p=3488\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Florida woman competes in Transplant Games of America 30 years after rare lifesaving surgery - 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