Wey Valley Fundraising for the World Transplant Games...

Hazel Wilkinson
Hazel is 17 years old and joined Wey Valley Swimming Club in 2004. She swam competitively for several years before having to give up due to kidney failure. She became very ill at the beginning of school year nine, having suffered with headaches for many years. She was diagnosed with kidney failure at that time and spent some weeks in Guys hospital. At the beginning of year ten both her kidneys had to be removed and she went on dialysis. Eventually she was well enough to come home and dialysed at home for nine months. She felt very unwell for most of this period and hence missed most of year ten at school. In June 2003, to cut a long story short, she received a kidney transplant; her mother was the donor. She very soon started to feel much better but the first few months were very difficult, with frequent hospital visits. Eight weeks after the transplant she did a 2-mile sponsored swim to raise money for the Ronald Macdonald House (where she stayed for six weeks after the transplant).

The World Transplant Games
In July 2004 Hazel and several other patients from Guys took part in the British Transplant Games at Norwich University. Hazel entered three swimming events, the badminton and 100m running. She won gold medals in all the swimming events, a gold for the badminton and bronze for the running. In September she was told that she had been selected to represent Britain at the World Transplant Games in Canada in 2005. The World Transplant Games have been in existence for over 25 years when the very first 'Transplant Olympics' were held in Portsmouth in 1978 and were the brainchild of a pioneering transplant surgeon, Maurice Slapak, to demonstrate the quality of life of transplant patients following surgery. The competitors are unique in that each of them is alive and well as a result of a successful organ transplant. They are also all on life-long drugs which are necessary following a transplant. There are about 20 teenagers going from Britain, two from Guys Hospital. This is a great achievement for all of them as they will be representing their country.

The lady who is organising the teenagers is hoping that between all the families enough funds can be raised to cover the cost of the athletes going to Canada. Many families experience financial difficulties whilst their child is ill and afterwards so help is needed with the costs of the trip so that all those selected can take part regardless of circumstances. Hazel's Mum says "I was a spectator at the British games I can assure you it is such a worthwhile event. As well as being a huge boost for the children and teenagers it does a lot to get people thinking about organ donation and hopefully registering as a donor."

Wey Valley fundraising objectives
As part of its Swim21 accreditation Wey Valley is committed to developing disability swimming in the local community. We are part of the Surrey Disability Swimming Action Group and through this partnership we can bring Hazel's selection to represent the country at the World Transplant Games to the attention of a wider audience. How can members show their support for Hazel? We will be announcing shortly a special club event that swimmers can enter (entry fees going to raise funds for the transplant games swimmers). In the meantime if you would like to make a donation then please make cheques payable to 'The British Teenage Transplant Team' and hand them in to a teacher or committee member who will pass them on to Hazel and her Mum. All donations will be very much appreciated, however large or small, as they all count! Alternatively, nominate the team as the charity to raise funds for at your school or workplace?

For more information see the World Games web site www.2005wtg.london.ca.