June's ‘Home Run for Life’ game will celebrate local woman who saved the life of her friend through kidney donation

RENO, Nev. (June 16, 2022) — When local Reno resident, Donna Kapala, received the news that an acquaintance she met over 40 years ago was on dialysis and needed a kidney transplant, she offered to undergo testing to see if she could donate a kidney––and she was.

Kapala met Sheila Hoban in 1974 on a teaching assignment to Australia, and had infrequently kept in touch over the years. Despite the time apart, Kapala volunteered to donate her kidney, and in August of 2018, at 68 years old, she had surgery to save Hoban’s life.

Kapala is a living organ donor. A living organ donor is someone who is alive and healthy when they donate an organ, usually a kidney or a part of their liver. Kapala continues to give back with her dog, Hunny, a rescued mini Aussie and Therapy Dog at Renown Health and both are Donor Network West ambassadors, helping share the importance of becoming a registered organ donor.

Kapala and Hunny will round the bases during the second inning at the Reno Aces’ Home Run for Life game, presented by Donor Network West, Friday, June 23, at Greater Nevada Field as the Reno Aces take on the Albuquerque Isotopes.

“Sheila and I have become great friends again,” said Kapala. “We talk regularly on the phone and she always ends the conversation by thanking me for giving her the ‘gift of life’ through my kidney donation. She even nicknamed my kidney ‘little Donna!’”

Hoban was on dialysis for two and half years before receiving her second chance at life, “I didn’t think I would live past 72,” she said. “Now, at 73 years old, I’m getting ready to live for another 10 years! I consider myself very lucky.”

Of the more than 100,000 people who are waiting for lifesaving organ transplants in the U.S., 85% are waiting for a kidney transplant. One donor can save up to eight lives through organ donation and heal up to 75 lives through tissue donation.

Donor Network West, northern Nevada and northern California’s only federally designated nonprofit organ procurement organization, is proud to support six Home Run for Life baseball games during the 2023 Aces’ season. In its second year, the partnership brings critical awareness about organ donation to the northern Nevada community and its sports fans. This is the third Home Run for Life game of the 2023 season.

“Living donation helps fulfill a great need as there is an average of 3,000 new patients added to the kidney transplant waiting list each month,” Janice Whaley, president and CEO of Donor Network West, said. “On behalf of Donor Network West, I extend my deepest gratitude to Donna and our community’s living donors. Honoring northern Nevada’s donors and transplant recipients with our Reno Aces partner is an impactful way to celebrate the gifts that save and heal lives.”

Once a month, the Home Run for Life game series features an individual in the northern Nevada community who is honored by taking a ceremonial trip around the bases as each team lines the baselines. Individuals recognized have received life-saving transplants or have lost a loved one who saved lives through organ donation.

“Our partnership with Donor Network West provides a meaningful way to educate people about the importance of organ, eye and tissue donation,” Chris Phillips, general manager and chief operating officer for the Reno Aces said. “It’s incredibly rewarding to cheer on our local organ recipients alongside the fans and the players at our Home Run for Life games.”

Anyone can register to be an organ donor. To learn more and to register as an organ donor, visit DonorNetworkWest.org.

— @MyDNWest —

Media note: If the media would like an interview with Donna Kapala in advance of the Friday, June 23 Reno Aces game, please contact Jena Esposito at [email protected]. Photos of Kapala, her therapy dog, Hunny, and Hoban are available for download here.

Photo cutline: Donna Kapala, a local living kidney donor, will be honored for her life-saving donation to her friend, Sheila Hoban, by Donor Network West at the Reno Aces’ Home Run for Life game Friday, June 23. Accompanied by her therapy dog, Hunny, Kapala will round the bases to raise awareness for organ donation.

About Donor Network West

Donor Network West saves and heals lives by facilitating organ and tissue recovery for transplantation and research. Established in 1987, Donor Network West is designated and certified by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, accredited by the American Association of Tissue Banks (AATB), is a member of the Organ Donation Alliance and is an official Donate Life organization. Donor Network West is federally designated to serve 45 counties in northern California and northern Nevada, Donor Network West partners with the Department of Motor Vehicles and the state-authorized donor registries to help increase donor registration. For information, visit www.DonorNetworkWest.org and follow us on social media: @mydnwest.

About the Reno Aces
Since 2009, the Reno Aces, Triple-A affiliate of the Arizona Diamondbacks, has been a fixture in the Northern Nevada community providing family-friendly entertainment and Minor League Baseball in downtown Reno at Greater Nevada Field. Over the past 14 years, over 4.5 million fans have passed through the turnstiles, and the Aces have contributed to thousands of different non-profit charities throughout the region. For more information about the team or tickets for the entire 2022 season, visit RenoAces.com or Text TIXX to 21003.