Hi! My name is Gordon Denison and I have just come back from the most incredible experience of my life! But perhaps I should explain a few things first.
I am 20 years old and am in good health. But things weren't always like this. For starters, I was younger. But as for health, I was diagnoised with having end stage renal failure when I was 16. What this means is that my kidneys were in the process of shutting down.
So what is the big deal? Well, as I found out, you can't live without your kidneys. They are responsible for filtering the blood of toxins that are harmful to your body.
Needless to say, I was put on a machine that took over the function of my kidneys. But thanks to a small miracle perfomed by a stranger, I no longer have to hook up to this machine. The miracle that this person did was sign their donor card.
So I received a new kidney close to a year later. Now things are going great, which brings me back to the first paragraph...
I was luckey enough to participate, as an athlete, in the first Canadian Transplant Games held in Sherbrooke, Qué. These olympic-style games saw athletes from all over Canada, with one type of transplant (s) or another, competeing in various events.
These events ranged from racquet sports such as: racquetball, badminton, tennis; ball sports: volleyball, basketball; track and field events: sprints and relay, long distance running and walking, ball throw and shotput, high and long jump; and swimming events.
One special event was called the "Miracle of Life Relay". Open to donor families, athletes and organizers, teams of four would hand off a "baton", which was a rolled up bigger-than-life donor card, to the next person after sprinting 100 meters. This event symbolized the passing off of an organ (s) to an individual, so that s/he may continue on running, or living, as it were.
However, not all time at the University of Sherbrooke campus was spent competeing. There was plenty of time to meet with the athletes. For me, this was the most beneficial parts of the games.
For once in my life since the transplant, I was able to see and speak to people who have gone through similar experiences and emotional rollercoasters. Not only was I talking to people with kidney transplants, but also those who have had liver, heart, lung, pancreas transplants.
A person who might be wandering by with no clue of what was going on, and had all organs functioning, may stop for a second and wondering what these people were talking about; discussing their drugs... :)
But at least this person, if s/he stayed around, would realize the importance of signing their donor cards. These games and athletes were a testimony and payed tribute to those who have donated their organs. We and the games proved that life begins again after transplant and there is no stopping us from doing so.
Enjoy, then, these pictures and see what a blast we had. Also, take a moment and think about how much is possible once your donor card is signed, and how it can change the lives of many individuals.
For more information about the Year 2000 Transplant Games, or the year 2001 International Games in Kobe, Japan, please go to the Canadian Transplant Association website at: