TULSA, Okla. — Two mothers, united by unimaginable loss, connected by extraordinary love.
Cheryl Manley and Stephanie Baker never imagined they'd meet over matching tragedies.
Cheryl's daughter, Amanda, died in a traffic accident. Years later, so did Stephanie's son Cody.
Both young lives saved so many others, donating their livers, kidneys, and hearts.
"If they had met in life, it would have been a good friendship, I think," said Stephanie.
“I think they’re friends in heaven making fun of us," said Cheryl.
The mothers found each other through the Transplant Games of America, competing on Team Oklahoma, where donors, families, and recipients celebrate life's second chances.
"The games are a lot of fun, but it's in your face what brought you here every day," said Cheryl. "She liked helping people, and that's probably what solidified the decision to donate because we knew that even in death, Amanda would want to help."
The shared tragedy brought the mothers together at the games, creating a friendship forged in grief but strengthened by hope.
"There are times of the year that are harder for her, and there are times of the year that are harder for me, and we know this, we don't have to wonder, there's no second-guessing," said Stephanie.
But friends became family when Stephanie learned she needed a transplant of her own.
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Cheryl said she didn't hesitate to give up a piece of herself to help her friend.
"If Stephanie had needed me to sit with her at the hospital because she was going through something, I would have done that," she said. "For me, donating a kidney was just donating a kidney. It wasn't, I wasn't a hero or anything like that, I was just her friend, I was just doing what she needed me to do. We had been supporting each other for all those years, why would I not?"
This June marks Cheryl's 13th Transplant Games and Stephanie's 9th. They'll travel to Denver together June 18-23, competing and honoring the lives saved because of organ transplants.
The 2024 Transplant Games hope to set a Guinness World Record for the most donors, recipients, and families in one place.
"It's really a solidification of our decision when I can see somebody, they didn't have to be Amanda's recipient, the fact that they're a recipient and would have died without a transplant is enough for me," said Cheryl. "They're on my team, and I love them so much."
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