Kidney transplant recipient receives surprise UGA experience

ATLANTA - UGA football legends Jon and Matt Stinchcomb and David Greene created a special experience for 17-year-old kidney transplant recipient Tristan Phillips at the College Football Hall of Fame on Thursday.

The UGA alumni surprised Tristan at the College Football Hall of Fame, gave him a personal tour, and asked Tristan to teach the guys how to play wheelchair football in special sport wheelchairs on the Playing Field at the College Football Hall of Fame.

Born with spina bifida,  Tristan has undergone at least 32 surgeries. He lost one of his kidneys in 2009 to complications from spina bifida, and in 2014, he was listed for a kidney transplant when his remaining kidney went into failure. His father was a perfect match, giving Tristan the gift of life, not one, but twice.

Today, Tristan is a rising 10th-grader who loves UGA football. Tristan plays wheelchair football, basketball and handball for the Houston County Sharks.

UGA football legends Jon and Matt Stinchcomb and David Greene will kick off the 2016 Georgia Bulldog football season with the 11th annual Dawgs For Kids, a fundraising event benefiting Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta and the Georgia Transplant Foundation. The Countdown to Kickoff festivities will take place on the Playing Field at the College Football Hall of Fame in Atlanta on Friday, August 19, 2016, from 7:30 p.m. to 11:00 p.m.

Individual tickets are $100 and sponsorships are available starting at $500.

For more information about Dawgs For Kids, to order tickets or become a sponsor for any of these events, please visit www.ugakickoff.com or contact Cheryl Belair at 678-514-1181 or cbelair@gatransplant.org.