Our Story

Dari and Jenn Nowkhah, Charlotte, NC, had a five-week-old son, Hayden, who died on September 20, 2011, awaiting a heart transplant.  Hayden was being treated at Levine Children’s Hospital at Carolinas Medical Center.  Dari and Jenn would like to honor Hayden by raising funds to assist COTA transplant families and by raising awareness of the need for organ and tissue donors.

Dari is the lead ESPNU on-air host.  He has been with ESPN since 2004 and has been in his present position since July 2011.  He is also the co-host of ESPN Radio’s weekly Saturday morning show Dari and Mel.  Previously he worked as a sportscaster in Tulsa, OK; Lincoln, NE, and Kalispell, MT.