Members of The Society of Sports Therapists (The SST) will be playing a leading role in looking after the GB & N.I. athletes at the World Transplant Games in Perth, Australia (15th-21st April 2023).
Thomas Hames, Sports Therapy Course Leader at Coventry University and Honorary SST Member Sheila Leddington Wright will co-lead the team which includes Hartpury University Graduate Patrick Gaffey, winner of The SST /Transplant Sport Travelling Scholarship, together with Coventry University Graduates Louise Anderson and Harry Pitt.
The therapy team are expected to be kept busy throughout the 7 days of the Games. The GB team comprises of 135 athletes with ages ranging from 12-73. The athletes have survived either a heart, lung, kidney, pancreas, liver, small bowel, or bone marrow transplant.
Sheila said:
‘Transplant athletes really are very special people. They have been through life changing operations and have been given the gift of life, which they are grabbing with both hands.
‘Each athlete will have their own unique physical and psychological demands which can often be quite different from dealing with an able-bodied athlete. It can be challenging but equally very inspiring and rewarding.’
It’s an exciting time for all of the therapists and in particular for Patrick Gaffey, who said:
“Since graduating with my degree in Sports Therapy, I have tried to take every opportunity I can to improve myself as a therapist. This (Travelling Scholarship) was not only a good opportunity for me to improve my skill set but also to learn how sports therapists can support transplant athletes, to represent The Society of Sports Therapists at an international event and meet some amazing people with some amazing life experiences.
“Learning more about Transplant Sport, I now find myself talking about organ donation more, day to day. I quickly realised this opportunity wasn’t like anything else. It was completely different due to the fact that all athletes have been involved in an organ transplant process. They are all inspiring people that I can hopefully get to know better during my time in Perth.”
The SST has been delighted once again to support the Transplant Sport Therapy team through sponsorship. This year part of the funding has provided the team with a therapist for the Games in the form of Patrick Gaffey and the remainder has been made available for medical supplies and sundries.
Aside from Paddy, the rest of the team have had to raise their own funds to travel to Australia; neither the athletes or the therapy team receive any funding from The Lottery, UK Sport.
If you would like to add further support to the team you can still donate via:
Sheila Leddington Wright is fundraising for Transplant Sport UK (justgiving.com) or
Harry Pitt is fundraising for Transplant Sport UK (justgiving.com)
Organ donation facts and figures
As of May 2020, the law around organ donation in England changed. All adults in England are now considered to have agreed to be an organ donor when they die unless they have recorded a decision not to donate or are in one of the excluded groups (under 18, lacking mental capacity, visitors to England, those who have lived in England less than 12 months before death).
This is commonly referred to as an ‘opt out’ system. You may also hear it referred to as ‘Max and Keira’s Law’. You still have a choice whether or not you wish to become a donor.
Organ donation can only happen in a small number of cases. Around 500,000 people die every year in the UK, but only around 1 in 100 of them die in circumstances where they are able to donate their organs. Organs can only be transplanted very soon after someone has died, and they need to be in a usable condition. Donors can usually only be people who have died in a hospital intensive care unit or accident and emergency department. Due to these constraints, every potential donor is precious.
Your family would always be involved before donation takes place, so it is really important that you choose whether you want to be a donor and discuss what you want to happen with your family, so your decision is clear and they can have peace of mind knowing that your decision is being honoured. Your faith and beliefs will also always be taken into consideration before organ donation goes ahead.
There is no deadline to make your decision. You are free to register your decision whenever you like, and organ donation remains your choice.
Anthony Nolan and stem cell donation
Anthony Nolan saves the lives of people with blood cancer. The charity uses its register to match potential stem cell donors to blood cancer and blood disorder patients in need of stem cell transplants.
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