Big news from Bill Klahn

Since nearly drowning trying to swim the 400 freestyle with everyone watching at the 2006 Games, Bill Klahn wanted to let people know that he swam in the Breadbasket Zone Championship swim meet at the end of April. Masters swimmers from nine states competed in the event.

"I won the 1650 yard freestyle (1 mile) plus took second place in the 50 breastroke, and third place in the 100 and 200 breastroke," he says. His winning mile time was 29:47.88, and he went a 37.99 in the 50 breaststroke, and a 1:30.30 in the 100 breast stroke.

But that's not his really big news.

"I had been writing back and forth to my donor's mother and I met her at the meet (Kathy was the one to finally talk me into having the courage to meet her). Neither of us really cried but it was an emotional experience just the same. She stayed there the whole event and talked to my dad and Dan while I was swimming.

"She was a really nice lady and I liked her a lot. She seems to have a lot of issues and I hope that I helped her heal some. It was not nearly as scary as I thought, and my fear of meeting her was unfounded," he said.

Bill and Dan handed out donor card pamphlets and quite a few people promised that they would send them in. "Plus we talked to a lot of people about organ donation, creating good will and helping them understand transplants," Bill adds.

"I just hope that they don't all think that recipients are all as nuts as Dan and I," he says.

The dynamic duo also attended the Senior Olympics the second week in June in West Des Moines, participating and handing out donor pamphlets. Next, Bill plans to swim in the Iowa Games in Ames, Iowa July 14 and 15. The swim meet will be held at Ames Municipal pool at 20th and Ridgewood. More information about the Iowa Games is available here: www.iowagames.org

If you would like to attend the Iowa Games to cheer Bill on, and help him hand out information about organ donation, you can email him at billybob2@mchsi.com or call 319/594-0469.

Fast facts about transplants in the US

Did you know that, as of June 1, 2007 96,285 people in the US were waiting for organ transplants? In 2006 28,934 transplants were performed. Of the transplants performed last year, more than 17,000 were kidney transplants.

More interesting facts about transplantation:

• 71,935 people are waiting for a kidney transplant
  
• 16,857 people are waiting for a liver transplant
  
• 1,677 people are waiting for a pancreas transplant
  
• 2,340 people are waiting for a kidney-pancreas transplant
  
• 2,751 people are waiting for a heart transplant
  
• 2,734 people are waiting for a lung transplant
  
• 119 people are waiting for a heart-lung transplant

Diane Hagarty has sent a full report from UNOS that includes more statistics about transplants in the US if you're interested in learning more. Click here for a pdf you can print, or use the link in the left column, under the "Things to Know" heading.