Thank you for visiting my fundraising page for  the 2008 National Kidney Foundation Transplant Games in Pittsburg Pennsylvannia.  I will be competing with   Team Alabama! 

 My Name is Savanah Smith.  I live in Albertville Alabama with my Mama Jennifer Dobbins Whitt, My Dad Jared Whitt, my twin brothers Joel and Evan and my three year old baby Sister Samarah Gabrielle.  I call her Mailey, or Marah, or Baby Caker.  I attend Albertville Elementary School and will be going into Second Grade in August.  I also attend LifePoint Church in Albertville.

I received my heart transplant when I was 30 days old. I was born with hypoplastic left heart syndrome which means that the left ventrical in my heart did not form properly.  I also had some other problems. The good Lord saw fit for me to live normally for 16 whole days at home with my Mom and Metmama and my Uncle Bobby before any one new that I was sick.  Then one day, my Mom knew something was wrong and she took me to see Dr. Packard.  Dr. Packard knew  right off what was wrong with me and sent me to Childrens Hospital in Birmingham.  Dr. Lau was waiting for me there and talked to my family about the heart surgery I would need and the possible transplantation.  So, after a few days they sent me to Boston Childrens Hospital to try the surgery, but it didn't work., so we had to hope and pray that the Lord would give me a knew heart.  And some wonderful family did give me the greatest gift possible...a brand new heart from there own precious little child.  My transplant surgeon was Dr. Pedro DelNido and my cardiologist in Boston was Dr. Stephen Roth. Dr. Roth and Dr. Del Nido would never give up on me.

 Now, I am 8 years old and I have had no rejection.  I've been sick from the immune suppresant medicines, mostly allowing me to often get pneumonia, but no rejection or problems with my heart.  My brand new heart  is a match made from heaven, we believe.

The transplant games are all about organ donation awareness; helping the world to know the importance of giving life when life is over for others or giving life as a living donor through partial organ donation, blood donation, tissue, or full organ donation such as a kidney.  The transplant games are also a celebration of life for those who survive near terminal illness through the gift of organ donation.

Your gift  of any amount will help the Team Alabama go for the Gold in Pittsburg July 13-16.  Please visit the Transplant Games website for more information. Also, the Team Alabama website at: teamalabama.org and the National Kidney Foundation website:transplantgames.org.

My Metmama: Pat Dobbins and my Papaw: George Dobbins will  be taking me to the transplant games.  We will leave with the team from the Birmingham Airport on Friday morning at about 7:30 a.m. 7/11/08.  We're Going for the Gold but we're mostly happy that we are all able to Go! Go Team Alabama !!!

Donating through this website is simple, fast and totally secure. It is also the most efficient way to support my fundraising efforts.

Many thanks for your support -- and don't forget to forward this to anyone who you think might want to donate too!