Our Team Northeast athletes, who have been in Durban, South Africa this past week competing as part of TEAM USA in the World Transplant Games, are heading home this weekend after an exciting and emotional week. We are still waiting on all the final results, but they did amazingly well in their individual sports: among others, Tom Jenkin took gold in the cycling road race, Barbara Breckenridge earned the bronze in women's team road race and they both won gold in the opening day 5K road race. And here is Robin Lataille with her team co-captain, winning the bronze in women's swimming - the 100M Backstroke.
Results are available
at the following link, and you can see how many athletes, representing 55 countries
and ages from 6 to well into their 80s are competing – and winning! http://www.wtg2013.com/results.htm
But of
course its about so much more than just the medals. The Games celebrate the triumph of the human
spirit and the hope that is behind every transplant.
A multi-sport festival
event for athletes who have undergone life-saving transplant surgeries and
those who are living donors, the Transplant Games competition is open to anyone
who has given or received a solid organ transplant, tissue or bone marrow donation. More
than just an athletic event, the Transplant Games highlight the critical
importance of organ and tissue donation, while celebrating the lives of organ
donors and recipients. Transplant athletes can compete in alternate years in
the Transplant Games of America, last in Grand Rapids, Michigan in 2012 and
then the World Transplant Games such as those in Durban South Africa this
summer. There are also Winter World
Games, last held in 2012 in Anzère,
Switzerland.
The Games such as those in
Durban, South Africa host 13 different sports, including a 5K run, badminton,
basketball, bowling, cycling, golf, racquetball, swimming, table tennis,
tennis, and track and field. Here is a link
to a gallery of more pictures from the week
The Opening and Closing Ceremonies at the Games are very emotional, from the Parade of Teams with all the competitors through the tributes to those living with and waiting for life saving transplants, and the celebrations of living donors and donor families. There is rarely a dry eye in the house when these ceremonies are over; everyone is united in showing the difference a gift of life can make.
You can get a bit of a sense of this in the Games from this interview with Gary Green, who is the TEAM USA manager in Durban.
World Transplant Games Interview
What is ahead ? Well, transplant recipients, living donors
and donor families in the US will already be gearing up for the 2014 Transplant
Games of America (TGA) that will be held in Houston TX, set to take place July
10-15, 2014. And the World Transplant Games Federation
have already announced that Argentina won the bid to host the 2015 World
Transplant Games in Mar del Plata, with next year's Winter Games to be held in La Chapelle-d'Abondance, France.
Are you someone who has received a transplant or is waiting for one? Or maybe you are a living donor to a loved one or someone touched by organ donation as a family member? Doesn't this sound like a life affirming opportunity to celebrate the gift of that organ donation is? I know I'm looking forward to being able to be part of the next Games - how about you?
Take care and be well...
There is also a European Transplant and Dialysis Sport Federation that sponsors Games every other year that includes those on dialysis. Last held in 2012 in Zagreb, Croatia, this gives those living well and fully on dialysis a chance to highlight that alongside their transplanted friends. More info at: http://www.etdsf.org/
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