Stanford Medical Center was on display when the San Francisco Giants held their 9th annual Organ Donor Awareness Day Aug. 1 at AT&T Park in San Francisco.

Representing Stanford at the game were pediatric gastroenterologists Eric Sibley and John Kerner. Kidney transplant recipient Larry Kowalski and his donor-brother, Steve, served as “ball dudes” at the game. The Kowalski transplant was performed in February 2005 by Stanford transplant surgeons Maria Millan and Linda Chen.

“Follow-up assessment by nephrologist John Scandling shows excellent recovery. Larry raves about the success of Dr. Millan’s innovative tolerance protocol that has enabled him to be in such excellent health,” explained Kerner.

The original inspiration for the team’s involvement in Organ Donor Awareness Day came from Kerner, after one of the Stanford transplant service’s pediatric patients received a “split liver” transplant in 1998. The larger portion of the liver went to Lori Gardner, late wife of Giants’ bullpen coach Mark Gardner.