TANZANIA: Kidney Donors Climb Kilimanjaro With Kidney Donor Athletes, Raise 17K To Spotlight Donation

Two kidney Donors Summit Kilimanjaro To Raise Awareness And Funds For Donation

USA: Two Indiana women who donated kidneys a few years ago reached Mount Kilimanjaro’s summit last month as part of an eight‑day journey organized by kidney Donor Athletes to spotlight organ donation and transplantation. The group of more than 80 climbers set out in headlamp blackout conditions, waited through a long predawn climb and spent roughly 20 minutes at the 19,000‑foot Arctic summit before descending in thin air.

Cara Blair of Greenwood and Abby Berg of Bloomington trained for months — carrying a 25‑pound pack on daily hikes between family commitments and jobs — to prepare for the varied terrain and to underscore the physical and emotional dimensions of living as living kidney donors. One participant said she first registered through the IU Health transplant program and found donating aligned with her caregiving profession.

The route moved through five ecological zones, from jungle and rainforest with monkeys to alpine desert and snow, offering a stark backdrop to conversations about transplantation, recovery and why donors step forward. The climb raised about $17,000 for awareness activities and gave participants a week living and working alongside Tanzanian communities, an experience they said deepened their perspective on simple pleasures and the value of human connection.

Organ donation and kidney transplantation are central to the climb’s mission: to turn donor stories into momentum for education and recruitment, and to inspire others to consider living donation as a pathway to save lives.

Video originally published on 2026-05-01 16:59:33