(DENVER, CO) – Wayne resident Jean Sime and Livingston resident Patricia “Pat” Milford celebrated a remarkable milestone while representing Team Liberty at the 2026 Transplant Games of America in Denver, Colorado, commemorating the seventh anniversary of the lifesaving kidney transplant that forever changed both of their lives.
The biennial Transplant Games brought together thousands of transplant recipients, living donors, donor families, and supporters from all 50 states and several countries for a week of athletic competition, camaraderie, and celebration. Participants competed in more than 20 events including basketball, track and field, swimming, pickleball, bowling, cornhole, and trivia. This year’s Games also set a Guinness World Record for the largest gathering of living organ donors and transplant recipients, with 966 participants assembled in one place.
Sime and Milford represented Team Liberty, a program of the Sharing Network Foundation that includes participants from New Jersey, New York, and Connecticut. The pair competed in bowling, team trivia, darts and Texas Hold ‘Em. Sime also competed in cornhole.
Their amazing connection began seven years ago when Milford, a longtime nurse at Mountainside Medical Center, volunteered to become a living kidney donor for someone she had never met. That someone was Sime, who had spent years battling chronic kidney disease and undergoing dialysis while waiting for a transplant. What began as a selfless act of generosity has since grown into a lifelong friendship the two women often describe as a sisterhood.
“Celebrating our transplant anniversary at the Transplant Games made the experience even more unforgettable,” said Sime. “Looking around, I saw thousands of people who have all been given another chance at life through organ donation. Being there together with Pat, my living kidney donor, was a precious gift. Many transplant recipients never know who their donor is, while others may know them, but don’t have the opportunity to share life experiences and celebrate milestones together. I will never take this gift for granted.”
For Milford, the anniversary was equally emotional.
“Seven years have gone by so quickly, and seeing Jean healthy, active, and enjoying life is the greatest gift I could ever receive,” said Milford. “Being together at the Transplant Games reminded us how one act of kindness can ripple through so many lives. I hope our story encourages more people to learn about living donation and deceased organ and tissue donation because you truly have the power to save the lives of others.”
According to the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) and NJ Sharing Network, more than 100,000 Americans — including nearly 4,000 New Jersey residents — are currently waiting for a lifesaving organ transplant. Learn more or register as a donor at www.NJSharingNetwork.org.
PHOTO #1: Livingston resident Patricia “Pat” Milford (left) and Wayne resident Jean Sime (right) help set a Guinness World Record for the largest gathering of living organ donors and transplant recipient during the 2026 Transplant Games of America. (Photo Credit: Courtesy of NJ Sharing Network)
PHOTO #2: Wayne resident Jean Sime (left) and Livingston resident Patricia “Pat” Milford (right) get set to compete in the bowling competition at the 2026 Transplant Games of America. (Photo Credit: Courtesy of NJ Sharing Network)
PHOTO #3: Wayne resident Jean Sime (left) and Livingston resident Patricia “Pat” Milford (right) celebrate their friendship and transplant bond at the 2026 Transplant Games of America. (Photo Credit: Courtesy of NJ Sharing Network)