Two Courier country athletes given “a second chance at life” have spoken of their inspirational journeys to recovery ahead of the British Transplant Games.
Susan Alexander, from Glenrothes, and Peter Boag, from Monifieth, will be among the 850 transplant patients taking part in North Lanarkshire from Thursday to Sunday.
Both hope their stories will help to raise awareness of the importance of organ donation.
Susan received a living donor liver transplant from her mum Sheila Filsell six years ago.
She will be taking part in the 3km mini marathon, 1500m, 800m and 4x100m relay races.
Susan, who works as a GP, has also had two children since her operation – Jacob, aged four, and Heather, who is just nine months old.
She said: “It’s the first time I’ve taken part so I’m really looking forward to it.
“I had my transplant six years ago now and I’ve had two children since, so it’s made quite a difference to my training.
“But I’ve had a lot of help from family members who have come round so I’m grateful to them.
“I used to do running a lot before I was ill but obviously when I was ill I wasn’t able to exercise for a while, so it’s good to get back into it.”
Peter, a coach at Monifieth Athletic Club, says his liver transplant two years ago gave him “a second chance at life”.
He will be taking part in the 5km run, 10km cycle and 50m freestyle swim.
The 47-year-old said: “The first signs that something was wrong were some skin problems, back in 2003.
“I was having a blood test to check for allergies and they found that there was actually something wrong with my liver – I was diagnosed with primary sclerosing cholangitis.
“It means that the capillaries in your liver scar and block, and eventually the damage becomes irreversible.
“In the spring of 2015 I became jaundiced and bloated, so my doctor sent me to Ninewells Hospital and I was told I had chronic liver failure.
“I was at death’s door.”
After the latter diagnosis, everything happened very fast for Peter – he was put at the front of the queue for a liver transplant due to the severity of his illness, and a donor was found in July.
His and Susan’s appearance alongside the other competitors across the 23 sporting activities in the British Transplant Games is proof those who receive a transplant can go on to lead active and healthy lives.
In the UK, over 7,000 people are waiting for a life-saving transplant and three die each day waiting.
To register on the NHS Organ Donor Register, call 0300 123 23 23, or go to www.organdonationscotland.org. To join the bone marrow donor register, go to www.anthonynolan.org.
