Second Post from Transplant Games

SUNDAY, JULY 13, 2008 08:48 PM, CDT

Okay, I've had a little time to recover. Last nights opening ceremony was so emotional and overwhelming. Some of the speakers included Larry Hagman, Chris Klug, transplant recipients, donor families and even a remarkable woman that has been waiting and gotten "the call" 15 times only to have the liver not be compatable. Thanks to the veterans for getting us all great seats! It was absolutely amazing to see over 5000 people gathered together for this wonderful event. We are so proud and grateful to be part of such a wonderful team. We've met some amazing people that have welcomed us into their "family". Thank you!
Today we headed over to Carnegie Mellon University for Rece to check out the track situation. He hasn't had the chance to practice on a rubberized track (since Hilbert's track is still black top). He got a little help from some other track competitors (one was a fellow heart transplant recipient). The kids were amazed by the turf football field. Jack couldn't figure out why the grass was so hard to pick... Then we went into the natatorium and watched some Team Wisconsin members swim in the 50M freestyle. They represented Team WI proudly. We caught a bus back to the hotel and started looking for a place to eat. See, in Pennsylvania, most places are closed on Sunday because everyone goes to their families houses to eat together. We finally found a great little pizza place not far from the hotel. Dad and Tony brought the pizza back to the hotel. After our "lupper" (lunch/supper), Mom and Dad headed back to their hotel and Tony, the kids and I headed over to the Convention Center to watch Team WI in the 3 on 3 tournament. Both the mens team and the co-ed teams represented well! They both won their games. We left after the co-ed team played so Rece could get to bed and get a good nights sleep before his big day tomorrow.
I'd like to thank the transplant program at Children's Hospital for allowing us this opportunity. If it wasn't for their generousity, we probably wouldn't be here. This has been a wonderful experience for our family and we hope to continue to participate in the future games.
Thanks also to our families and friends back home that could make the journey with us but are following us online and taking care of the homestead. We love you all!
Tony, Hillary, Emma, Rece and Jack