Matt donated his left kidney on September 15, 2021 to a stranger and started a donation chain. Unlike many donors who already know someone in need of a kidney, Matt simply learned how many are in need of a kidney, decided to donate, and placed a cold-call to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Maryland to volunteer. “When my life depended on it, someone came for me,” he said, referring to his time in a 2003 military conflict. “Eighteen years later, I paid that moment forward. I was the cavalry. I saved someone’s life, and then some.”

Matt’s written about the experience in the Los Angeles Times and spoken with Colorado Public Radio about his donation.

He’s since joined the National Kidney Donation Organization, and volunteered to be the National Kidney Registry’s first sponsored athlete in an effort known as “1K4D” (more information available at 1K4D.org), and he’s spoken with former Olympian Carrie Tollefson about this endeavor.