By
The Associated Press
NENDAZ, Switzerland (AP) - ''I got gold,'' whoops Liz Schick as she glides through the glistening snow, thanks to the liver of someone she never knew and will never forget.
But as she grins at the ''Slalom Queen'' congratulatory message flashing across her cell phone, Schick muses that the Winter World Transplant Games aren't really about race times or winning medals.
They're about survival, courage and gratitude.
''Above all, we want the games to be a big message of thanks to the people who saved our lives,'' says Schick, 38 and a mother of two who received a liver transplant three years ago. ''We never knew you or met your families, but you're always in our thoughts.''
About 220 competitors from 65 countries are taking part in the six-day event, which ends Friday and includes downhill and cross-country skiing, snowboarding and curling.
One of the best-known organ recipients, Chris Klug, is not among them. The 28-year-old American snowboarder is too busy with his successful comeback on the World Cup circuit less than nine months after a liver transplant.
Sporting achievements aside, what binds competitors at this Alpine resort is the common suffering, shared stories and humor.
''It's difficult to remember everyone's name, so we call each other American Heart, French Kidney, Swiss Liver and so on,'' says Schick, a British sports teacher. ''It's a great atmosphere and there's huge camaraderie.''
Coach Babette Haueisen of Truckee, Calif., heads a contingent of 11 American participants.
''Above all, everyone is very, very happy to be here,'' she says. ''Thank God for organ donations.''
Organizers hope the event will heighten awareness of the shortage of organ donors.
''The games should not make us forget the people who were not so fortunate, and those who are still waiting,'' Swiss Health Minister Ruth Dreifuss said.
Genevieve Anthamatten endured 30 years of diabetes and seven years of dialysis before receiving a kidney and pancreas transplant last year. She still tires easily and her medication makes her hair fall out. But at 48, she's competing in the slalom event.
A revered visitor to the games is Reg Green, whose 7-year-old son Nicholas was killed in 1994 while the family was attacked by car jackers while vacationing in southern Italy. The grieving parents agreed to donate his corneas and five organs to ailing Italians.
Among the seven lives changed: A man who was going blind now plays rugby; a woman can see her children again; two children who were on dialysis each have a healthy kidney; a youngster with Nicholas' heart just got his driver's license; and a diabetic lives an independent life.
And there's the woman who was in a coma the night Nicholas died, her family standing by what they believed was her deathbed. Now 25 years old, she has a 2-year-old child and is pregnant again.
''She woke up with a new liver,'' said Green, his voice faltering with emotion.
''The publicity surrounding Nicholas meant that organ donations in Italy have more than doubled,'' Green said. ''Thousands of people are alive today who would have otherwise died.''
Green, a British journalist living in Bodega Bay, Calif., has written a book called ''The Nicholas Effect.'' He came to the games to watch competition for the ''Nicholas Cup,'' named for his son.
