Chris Spieth to World Transplant Games

That should have been me. You know, that kid that you hear about on the news that fell over on the basketball court and didn't survive. That easily could have been me. Either way, at age 15, my life changed forever.

In April 2010, I presented as a mystery case to the hospital. Everything pointed to a gallbladder attack, and I was going to have it removed. Little did the doctors know, it was failing because my heart was not functioning correctly. I actually had dilated cardiomyopathy, congestive heart failure, and myocarditis. My gallbladder was acting up because my body was protecting my vital organs and the gallbladder isn't one of them.


At first my doctors thought this might be related to Celiac's Disease as I have that as well. They later ruled that out and said they believed it was due to a virus. We will never really know for sure.

Either way, I ended up needing a heart transplant in June 2010. It was a gift that I have cherished ever since.

Two years after receiving this gift, I decided to partake in the Transplant Games of America in 2012 representing . I went there expecting to do well, but I never expected to dominate in my division. I took gold in the 100m, the 200m, and the long jump. With that, I had the second fastest 100 m dash out of all of the divisions. I had the fastest 200m dash and the longest distance for long jump out of all the competitors.

Now, I want to take on the world. I am looking for financial help with going to the 2013 World Transplant Games where I would represent not only Howards Grove, Wisconsin, but also the United States of America.

I cannot thank you enough for assisting me on my journey.

Thanks again!

Chris