Ascending America: Five Kidney Donors, Fifty Peaks in Fifty States, One Record-Breaking Journey

What If Saving a Life Didn’t Limit You, but Propelled You to New Heights? When retired emergency physician and kidney donor Matt Harmody joined a team of four other donors to climb the highest peak in every U.S. state, they weren’t just chasing a Guinness world record. They were out to prove a radical truth: Life after kidney donation has no limits. Ascending America takes you on an edge-of-your-seat journey through brutal weather, bone-deep exhaustion, and breathtaking landscapes. Alongside the adventure, Harmody dispels common myths about donation, explains dialysis and recovery in clear, human terms, and reveals breakthroughs shaping the future of transplantation. Inside this book, you’ll discover: Why living kidney donors often outlive the people they save, and why their bodies thrive. How one kidney donation can start a chain that saves dozens of lives. What it really takes to conquer 50 summits in 41 days (and what those challenges reveal about human resilience). The neuroscience of altruism and why donors often gain more than they give. The future of transplantation, from animal organs to stem-cell innovations. Both a pulse-pounding outdoor adventure and a call to action, Ascending America shows how extraordinary things happen when courage, science, and human generosity collide. Buy your copy today and rethink what is possible. View Less