I may have won GOLD and BRONZE medals - but Phi Sig sisters at the Games won my heart!

By Aubrey Birden
Games Athlete and Sister of Iota Epsilon - Indiana University at Kokomo; Winner of Gold and Bronze medals (cycling and bowling, respectively)

Hello, Phi Sigs! Oh, my goodness.... The 2010 National Kidney Foundation Transplant Games in Madison Wisconsin were so amazing! It was so great to see all my fellow Phi Sig sisters there volunteering their time and effort. As a transplant recipient and athlete, it was especially meaningful to see my sisters there to show their love and support! :)

I did pretty well this year - and I am very surprised (LOL), but I won GOLD in cycling and BRONZE in bowling! Yay! And the bowling was so close, I was only 10 pins away from gold; those girls were good!

The best part about the Games, as always, was getting to know other transplant recipients and making new friends. Plus, seeing the donor families, who lost loved ones, was so heart-warming.... Their strength empowers me to continue my advocacy to raise awareness for needed organs.

This year, both my mom and dad (my donor) got to come along! It was their first time, and they had so much fun. On Aug. 12, Dad and I will be celebrating the 17-year anniversary of our healthy kidney transplant! Here's to the next 17 years!

Aubrey with parents
Ron and Diana Birden

Thank you so much to all my sisters who came, those who supported me from afar, and of course to the Phi Sigma Sigma Foundation. All of your love and fundraising efforts help benefit the National Kidney Foundation in so many ways! Many people (over 100,000) are still waiting for a lifesaving transplant. Sign up to be a donor, and you could ultimately impact up to 150 people’s lives! Isn't that amazing?

Phi Sigma Sigma means so much to me - not just as a sister, leader and volunteer, but as a person. I know that our proclamation of "Once a Phi Sigma Sigma, Always a Phi Sigma Sigma" rings true not only in my heart, but in the heart and soul of every sister I have had the opportunity to meet, as well as those I haven't yet met.

Thank you, again, for all who attended the Games or rooted for the athletes! You DO made a difference and have an enormous impact on raising awareness of the need for organ and tissue donation in America.

Love you so much, sisters! PSLAM!