Rathfarnham men compete in the World Transplant Games

Two Rathfarnham men will be among 29 Irish athletes competing in the World Transplant Games in Germany next week.

Mark Mulhall and Sean Beirne will play for Transplant Sport Ireland’s team in Dresden, between Saturday, August 16 and Sunday, August 24.

TSI’s access to the World Games comes after the success at the British Games where Team Ireland, made up of eight adult athletes, three living donors and three U18 athletes, won 19 medals.

The athletes participating in the World Games, including Mark and Sean, have all had transplants.

Mark was diagnosed with leukaemia just before getting his Leaving Cert results and received a bone marrow transplant from his sister Avis nearly 25 years ago.

“If it wasn’t for my sister and the transplant I wouldn’t be here, it’s that simple. I wouldn’t have met my wife, and my three kids wouldn’t be alive,” he said.

“It gave me a second life and a chance to raise three beautiful children. It’s the little improvements I got excited about, like not getting tired after a short walk, being able to go hiking or having enough energy to go surfing.

“I have always been super aware that I have been very lucky in a way to get a transplant, have no major issues and get through it and survive. I try to live life to the fullest and en-joy every second of it.”

By competing at the World Transplant Games, Mark wants to show everyone who’s going through what he went through that “there is light at the end of the tunnel and a chance to live a full and active life post-transplant.”

Sean, who will compete in Golf and Petanque, had two kidney transplants in 1995 and 2010.

He now works in marketing, business consulting and mentoring, and has a wife and two grown-up children.

With his new kidney after the second transplant, Sean immediately noticed a “new-found energy” while up to that point, there was “very little” he could do without becoming really tired.

“It’s a dramatic improvement in your quality of life. Largely free from fluid and food restrictions, you’ll have much higher levels of energy and won’t tire as quickly as before.

“There will be a regime of meds to take to keep you from rejecting your transplant, some have side effects, but you’ll still prefer this to dialysis.

“I really appreciated the ability to travel, including Australia, New Zealand and, just a couple of months ago, a return visit to Japan.”

Addressing the donors’ families, Sean said, “We appreciate the anguish and hard decision to go ahead with this, but every transplant recipient values your selflessness and say, ‘Thank You’.”

The World Transplant Games will be “a good opportunity to meet others who’ve been on the same journey around the globe, compare notes and take inspiration from their achievements,” he said.

With over 2,000 athletes competing in over 17 sports, the World Transplant Games are the sporting pinnacle of the world transplant community, catering for both high-performance and social athletes.

These Games are “a celebration of a second chance of life, demonstra-ting the success of transplant surgery and promoting the need to raise public awareness of organ and tissue donation.”

According to TSI there are on average between 550 and 600 people active on waiting lists for organ transplants including heart, lung, liver, bone marrow, kidney, and pancreas.

TSI encourages everyone to have ‘the conversation’ in relation to organ donation with friends and family.

For more information, visit Transplantsportireland and TSI’s social media. To get involved, email transplantsportireland@gmail.com