Contact: Tim Gehret
843.792.2626
Contact: Maggie Diebolt
843.792.5021
May 31, 2007
CHARLESTON -- Winter Olympic snowboarding medalist Chris Klug will visit patients at the Medical University of South Carolina June 8 to raise awareness about organ donation. Klug, who speaks nationally as an advocate of organ donation, will visit MUSC on behalf of the Chris Klug Foundation (CKF), the Donor Dudes campaign and the Transplant Experience program.
Klug, a 2002 bronze medalist, received a liver transplant in 2000 for a rare liver condition. He is the first transplant recipient to win an Olympic medal.
The CKF mission is to promote lifesaving donation and improve quality of life for donors, donor families, organ transplant candidates and recipients. Considering the impact that one donor can have in saving so many lives, CKF is focused on assisting organ donors, recipients and their families as they prepare and recover.
Donor Dudes is a national awareness campaign focused on spreading the life-saving message of organ, blood, and marrow donation to people in a fun and creative way wherever there is surf, skate or snow. Aimed at informing high school and college students of the need for donation, Donor Dudes has already assisted blood, marrow and organ drives at more than 20 venues including high schools and colleges. For more information on CKF or the Donor Dudes campaign, visit http://chrisklugfoundation.org
A key sponsor of Klug's mission, Astellas Pharma US, Inc., has received national honors for their Transplant Experience program, which offers a variety of tools to help empower patients and caregivers to become active participants in their health care. Resources to guide patients through every stage of the transplant experience are provided, and the materials are created to meet patients' specific needs. For more information on the program visit http://www.TransplantExperience.com.
About MUSC
Founded in 1824 in Charleston, The Medical University of South Carolina is the oldest medical school in the South. Today, MUSC continues the tradition of excellence in education, research, and patient care. MUSC educates and trains more than 3,000 students and residents, and has nearly 10,000 employees, including 1,300 faculty members. As the largest non-federal employer in Charleston, the university and its affiliates have collective annual budgets in excess of $1.3 billion. MUSC operates a 600-bed medical center, which includes a nationally recognized Children's Hospital and a leading Institute of Psychiatry. For more information on academic information or clinical services, visit www.musc.edu or www.muschealth.com.
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