Why the Transplant Games is special

Children’s Liver Disease Foundation

Around this time every year, as CEO of Children’s Liver Disease Foundation, I get ready to attend one of the highlights of our summer The Westfield Health Transplant games.

The annual games is a wonderful event; from the four corners of the UK come the athletes, adults and children, all of whom have received a life-saving organ transplant.

It is a fantastic and ever growing community and the endeavour and commitment of all the competitors and the families who support them is nothing short of inspirational. Running, cycling, swimming, jumping, are just a  few of the myriad of sports enjoyed by competitors.

Children’s Liver Disease Foundation has supported the games for many years. In this time I’ve visited many fantastic cities, among them Newcastle, Liverpool and Glasgow. This year, however (August 2 – 5) we are incredibly proud to welcome the games to our home city of Birmingham.

It’s going to be fantastic to welcome thousands of visitors to the city and to see the games being held in some of our amazing sporting venues. The University of Birmingham campus will be become a vibrant games village, the Alexander Stadium will be home to track and field day on Sunday and Symphony Hall will host the opening and closing ceremonies.

If you do get the chance please do get involved and come and see some of the wonderful events that are taking place across the city. Not only are the games the ultimate celebration of life saving transplant surgery and the lives of  the amazing donors and donor families who have made it possible, but they are also a wonderful opportunity to highlight the need for donors and for people to join the Organ Donor Register and tell their family about their  wishes. It only takes two minutes to sign up and one donor can save a number of lives.

Every year I come away from the games humbled, uplifted and inspired by the children and adults who live every day to the full with the life afforded them by transplant, if you can, do get involved, it’s one of the highlights of my year and I know that our city will be spectacular hosts.

For further information go to childliverdisease.org.

To join the Organ Donor Register click here.

Alison Taylor
Chief executive
Children's Liver Disease Foundation