Bryan Myss ~ Kidney Recipient ~ Beaverton, OR

“I kept thinking about loved ones who made the choice to give life to those they did not know.”

If there’s one word that describes Bryan Myss, it’s “determination.” Born without fully functioning kidneys, Bryan underwent his first surgery at 10 days old.

Bryan and his parents knew from the beginning that he would likely require a kidney transplant. Though part of their daily reality was peritoneal dialysis and hospital trips, Bryan’s parents also did everything in their power to provide their son with a normal childhood – including camping, skiing, and school sports. Even when Bryan was tired, sick, and weak, they encouraged him to live boldly and never take life for granted.

Bryan’s family was vacationing in Bend, Oregon, when they got “the call” in a most extraordinary way. The Oregon state police came and found the family at their campsite to tell them that a kidney was waiting for Bryan at Doernbecher Children’s Hospital.

26 years later, Bryan’s donor kidney is happy and healthy. Bryan is a very active volunteer with various outreach programs including Donate Life Northwest and the Chris Klug Foundation. But there have been challenges along the way.

In 2008, Bryan suffered a severe spinal injury. This injury led to an extensive spinal fusion surgery, where doctors inserted numerous rods and screws into his back. But in spite of this terrible injury and the subsequent difficult recovery, Bryan has remained determined to heal and return to a life full of activity.

Bryan reached an enormous milestone in his recovery as he participated in the Summit for Life event in Aspen, Colorado last year. With the help of a group of his friends, Bryan honored his kidney donor by completed the Summit for Life hike. And just days later, he returned to his beloved sport of snowboarding.

There is another word that describes Bryan, and that word is “thankful.” He admits that it was his donor, his family, and his friends that inspired him and gave him the strength to heal and to summit the mountain in Aspen. He says, “I kept thinking about loved ones who made the choice to give life to those they did not know. It was my motivation to pay tribute to the decisions people make to give someone like me a second chance.”