We went right to the Convention Center to check-in for the Games. It was a little chaotic, but we got to where we needed to be among the masses. Thankfully, even after sitting in the carseat, Grace was okay with sitting in the stroller. We waited a bit and were finally able to go and check-in at registration. While we were waiting in line, the pin trading started! If you've ever been to Disney, you've seen how pins are traded. The same thing happens at the Games only the pins are from the different states/regions. We had a bunch of Minnesota/Dakotas pins (our team) and Carson was ready to trade. He got a few trades in early on. A gentleman passed us by and asked who the athlete was. We indicated it was Carson and the man was obviously moved. He asked when Carson was transplanted, what organ, etc. Carson was proud to tell which events he'd be competing in. Not only did Carson trade team pins, but the man gave Carson an extra-special pin - a pin from the police department his son had served in in California. His son had been a donor! (Oh, and the Games aren't just about the athletes...living donors and donor families are a big part of the Games as well!). He told Carson he'd be cheering him on and that he knew Carson was special. He told Carson "God Bless You!" and Carson's eyes were huge. He knew this was special! After leaving us teary-eyed, the gentleman re-joined his team.
A bit of background - one of our goals of the Games is to certainly have fun. Another goal was for Carson to meet and be around other transplanted kids. To see kids taking meds, having scars, wearing MedicAlert bracelets (something Carson has boycotted the last few months as 'no one else has one'). Our hopes were to help 'normalize' having a transplant. He's been very shy about showing his scars for some time now. That's okay, we understand that. He often doesn't even want to talk about it around others. So, we were hopeful the Games would help bring him to a place of being proud of what he's gone through and feel better about the road ahead.
Once we got through registration, we went into the Expo. We wandered through the booths and Carson loved getting the goodies. Our stroller storage bin was quickly filled with all sorts of goodies. We had our pic taken at one booth, Carson got to shoot a video at another, we got a 5x7 of him at another (which I'll need to scan in - it is a great pic), and all sorts of goodies in between. Highlights were visiting with Olympic bronze medalist, snowboarder Chris Klug (with pics, of course) and Carson doing push-ups with a kidney recipient who is now a fitness specialist. We saw some other 'liver families', which was great too.
By the end of our round at the expo, Carson was opening telling people that he got a new liver over 8 1/2 years ago, what events he was competing in and even lifted up his shirt a few times to show his scar! It was so moving for us to see this transformation and how excited he was to tell his story!
Daddy and Grace went to the van a bit earlier than Carson and I. On our way out, we managed to dump most of the contents of the storage area of the stroller on the ground. A living donor from Hawaii helped us out. He was so sweet. (Perhaps I looked frazzled so he knew I needed help!) As we went our different directions, Carson commented how nice everyone was at the Games. He couldn't have said the undercurrent any better!
We also met a man from Utah - his son had a heart transplant when he was only 7 weeks old. Now his teenage son is doing great and a fantastic bowler. Carson showed off his scar once again! We visited for a bit and looked forward to connecting with the whole family. At the Games, it is such a small world!
Next stop with two tired kids (and a tired Daddy and Mommy) was supper (where we once again saw the kidney recipient/fitness specialist with his family) and then the hotel. We chose Staybridge Suites as we'd have a small kitchen and lots more space for our five nights here. Plus, since we've been to Give Kids the World (and Staybridge is a big supporter of GKTW) we get a great discount at Staybridge. We got checked in, hauled in the contents of the van (THAT was fun) and started to settle in. There was no way were were getting the kids to bed before a trip to the pool. So, despite the fact it was past 8:00 p.m., Trav and the kids trekked to the pool, while I got us settled in to the room. When they arrived back over an hour later, the kids were completely wiped out. Time for bed for all of us - Saturday would be a busy day!
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