Purpose Over Podiums: Meet the Athletes Merging CrossFit and Kidney Health Awareness
In 2025, Andrés Falco took the competition floor at Wodapalooza in Miami Beach and amazed the crowd — not because of his experience, but because he had only three months of training under his belt.
- That short prep time wasn’t because of a lack of dedication or a busy schedule. Just six months earlier, Falco underwent a kidney transplant.
He didn’t enter the event chasing medals. His main goal was straightforward: to raise awareness about kidney health and living donation. The second-place finish was an unexpected but welcome bonus.
Months later, in September, Falco returned to the Wodapalooza stage in Southern California. His teammate was Joe Tolles, who donated a kidney to his mother in 2022.
- The duo finished fourth in their division, continuing to demonstrate that strength and purpose can coexist on the same platform.
Meet Andrés Falco
Falco lived with kidney disease for 19 years and spent nine years on dialysis. During that time, he discovered CrossFit and used training to heal.
- “It brought order to my life — in nutrition, rest, and discipline, and even helped reduce side effects from dialysis, like sarcopenia,” Falco told Morning Chalk Up.
In 2015, Falco underwent his first kidney transplant, and then a second one in 2024.
Once Falco felt well enough to train and compete, he was motivated to give back and share his experience with others. Along with his wife, he founded No Kidney No Excuses, a global movement that connects education, health, and fitness for kidney patients, their families, and healthcare professionals through social media.
Soon after the organization was established, people began following, seeking advice, and sharing their stories.
- “Today, No Kidney No Excuses has a much bigger purpose: to help people living with chronic kidney disease realize that they can be healthy, strong, and live fully,” Falco said. “Strength isn’t measured by what you lift, it’s measured by how you keep moving forward. We don’t compete for a podium, we compete for a purpose.”
Meet Joe Tolles
Thirty-seven-year-old Tolles donated a kidney to his mother three years ago, which he considers the most important decision of his life.
- “When my mom told me she had to go on dialysis and needed a kidney transplant, I immediately said she could have mine. I didn’t think twice about it — she’s my mom, and I would do that for her a hundred times over,” Tolles told Morning Chalk Up.
At the time, he didn’t understand how complex the kidney donation process was or how rare it was to find a match.
- “We were incredibly lucky. I’m just so grateful that I was able to donate to her and give her a better quality of life,” Tolles said. “The whole experience really put things into perspective for me — it reminded me what true strength and purpose look like, and how important it is to show up for the people you love.”
Within weeks of surgery, Tolles was back competing in CrossFit and had regained full intensity at the gym he owns, North Shore Athletic Club (NSAC) in Burlington, Ontario, after only six months.
As a coach and owner, he’s proud of the culture that he’s built at NSAC.
- “It’s a place where people come in to train, but they stay because of the friendships, the accountability, and the feeling of belonging,” Tolles said. “Watching people grow — not just physically, but in confidence and character — that’s what makes it all worth it. North Shore isn’t just where we work out; it’s where we become better together.”
Alliance for Paired Kidney Donation (APKD)
The two volunteers dedicate their time to the Alliance for Paired Kidney Donation (APKD), an organization they represented while competing at Wodapalooza SoCal.
APKD is a global nonprofit organization committed to saving lives by increasing access to living-donor kidney transplants. Using advanced matching technology and an international network, APKD connects incompatible donor-recipient pairs with others worldwide, facilitating life-saving kidney exchanges.
- “We’re redefining what’s possible in transplantation, combining medicine, technology, and humanity to help more people receive the gift of life each year,” Susan Rees, COO for APKD, told Morning Chalk Up.
And it’s Rees, Tolles, and Falco’s hope that sharing their stories of perseverance, purpose, and possibility with the CrossFit community serves as a powerful reminder that the same grit that drives athletes in the gym can also transform and save lives.
Featured image: Alliance for Paired Kidney Donation
