2021 Bounce Back Winner - Zach Brooks

Zach was playing a beach soccer game in 1998 when he broke his toe; he figured with one short trip to the doctor's office and would be back to normal in no time. However, when he arrived at the doctor's office, the doctor asked to run a few standard checkups; Zach obliged, and his kidney function was poor when the results came in. Fast forward 4 months, and Zach was on dialysis awaiting a kidney transplant. After five months of testing, Zach received his kidney transplant through a living donation from his father. Zach bounced back from his first transplant by joining a dance company performing in front of large audiences across the country. In 2007 Zach and his family were faced again with the need for a kidney transplant; as luck would have it, Zach's mother was a match. Again through living donation, Zach received his second transplant. Zach is forever grateful to his parents, who gave him the gift of life three times!

Zach continued his active lifestyle post-transplant, winning over 30 medals and competing at 9 US and World Transplant Games, serving as a WTGF trustee since 2017. He has continued to work to live his best life to thank his parents for their incredible give; Zach wrote a book on his kidney transplants and how to live life with meaning and purpose. Zach has starred in 10 Hollywood Movies and created two podcasts. Zach continues to help others by working to educate one person at a time on the importance of organ, eye, and tissue donation.