While still recovering from transplant surgery after fighting stage 5 kidney failure for more than a year, George Sharp, rural program manager for the Thurston Economic Development Council’s South Thurston Economic Development Initiative (STEDI), now has a new kidney thanks to an anonymous living donor.
“The person who donated wanted to remain anonymous,” Sharp told The Chronicle.
The Chronicle spoke to Sharp on Thursday, Oct. 3, to talk about his new kidney along with a prestigious award he recently won — Experience Olympia and Beyond’s 2024 Patrick Knutson Tourism Legend Award.
“It’s been quite the rollercoaster. A year ago, I was in the hospital for 11 days with a staph infection,” Sharp said.
Even while sick with the staph infection he still attended the unveiling of the Tenino Creative District’s metal artwork for the downtown area in October 2023, but was so ill he was physically unable to deliver a speech dedicating them.
“(Tenino City Councilor) John O’Callahan actually had to drive me to the hospital. I tell everyone John saved my life that day because I was a zombie. It was such a bad infection,” Sharp said.
During Sharp’s regular dialysis treatments, Sharp said O’Callahan frequently visited and brought board games to help pass the time.
Since the kidney came from a living donor though, doctors have told Sharp he could have anywhere between 15 and 25 years before he needs another one.
“And no more dialysis. I’m lucky. According to my doctors, I’m their ‘star pupil’ with what I’ve done and how I’ve bounced back so fast with my recovery,” Sharp said. “Today, I went in for labs and he said ‘excellent’ like five times.”
Normally, recovery from a kidney transplant can take anywhere from two to four months. Sharp is now working again full time after less than a month and a half.
“But other people have bounced back and do it within a month. I think 99% is your attitude and what you want to do in life,” Sharp added.
Sharp, now 62, had been battling stage 5 kidney failure and been on dialysis since April 2023 but had been still working nonstop throughout his treatment up until Aug. 21, when he finally went in for the transplant surgery.
During his recovery, Sharp’s twin sister, Ginger Sharp, traveled from Tucson, Arizona, and spent more than a month driving him to and from medical checkup appointments.
In the first two weeks, he spent most of his time in bed but started to go “stir crazy” and got back to work beginning to help plan this year’s ongoing “Boo-coda Spook-tacular.”
“I went back to work pretty much full time on Sept. 16 because there were things to do,” Sharp said. “I had to put on the Tenino candidates forum and the Tenino Chamber lunch program … I was back in the game.”
And back in the game he is, winning more awards for his work.
Amid his fight last year, he was inducted into the Washington Festivals and Events Association Hall of Fame. Now, nearly a year later, Sharp has won the 2024 Patrick Knutson Tourism Legend Award.
Knutson was a longtime restaurateur who made a name for himself in Olympia with his businesses but died from pancreatic cancer in 2020 at the age of 54. Some of the businesses Knutson owned included the Budd Bay Café and The River’s Edge.
“Winning the award was really touching to me because Patrick and I met every week for two years working on the tourism promotion area, and I was devastated when he died,” Sharp said. “He was quite the entrepreneur.”
The Patrick Knutson Tourism Legend Award is given to someone who has been working in Thurston County’s service industry for at least 10 years and who exemplifies leadership, innovation and stewardship.
Originally from Hermiston, Oregon, Sharp grew up in the Tri-Cities area in Washington and attended Washington State University for a business degree.
He eventually went on to work in the Washington State Tourism Office before budget cuts left him out of a job in 2010. Sharp then began working for the Olympia, Lacey and Tumwater Visitor and Convention Bureau, now known as Experience Olympia and Beyond.
In 2017, Sharp was hired by the Thurston Economic Development Council as its veterans grants program coordinator and the STEDI manager, where he has helped foster many programs and events including the We Love Rainier program and the month-long “Boo-coda Spook-tacular.”
For more information on the Patrick Knutson Tourism Legend Award and Experience Olympia and Beyond’s other 2024 Thurston County Tourism Award winners, visit https://www.experienceolympia.com/industry/annual-meeting/.
