WOKINGHAM resident Helen Wilson triumphed at the World Transplant Games, winning two medals competing for Team Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
Helen has competed in the Westfield Health British Transplant Games for the last 5 years in the 100m, 200m, long jump, archery, shot putt, discus and javelin and this year, for the first time, was selected to be part of Team GB & NI for the World Transplant Games which were held recently in Newcastle.
Helen took part in archery, in which she increased her personal best by 50 points and came 4th, javelin in which she came 5th, shot putt in which she won the Bronze Medal and discus in which she won the Silver Medal.
“I think I am still in a bit of a state of shock,” said a delighted Helen.
“The whole experience was awesome and I loved every minute of it!”
She was diagnosed with polycystic kidney disease in December 2005. She went on to have both her kidneys removed in 2006.
Then in February 2007 her amazing brother Steve Row saved her life by giving her ‘Sydney the Kidney’. A few years later Helen was diagnosed with polycystic liver disease and once again became very ill.
She was lucky to receive ‘Lionel the Liver’ in December 2013 from an amazing donor family and following a few weeks in intensive care, she has not looked back since.
More than 1,500 athletes of all ages from 59 countries took part in the week long series of events.
Helen was competing with athletes from the USA, Canada, The Netherlands, Argentina, Australia, Finland, Iran, Germany, Poland and South Africa and was delighted to bring home two medals from her first World Transplant Games.
The next World Games will be held in Houston,Texas in 2021 and Helen will soon be starting her training plan to ensure she does well at the Westfield Health British Transplant Games which are being held in Coventry in 2020 so that she can again be selected to be part of Team GB & NI for 2021.
