2024 European Transplant Sports Championships in Portugal Ireland representatives include Limerick’s Trevor Lynch, Rob Merrigan, and Ronan Coughlan
Three Limerick athletes to represent Ireland at the 2024 European Transplant Sports Championships in Portugal
Three Limerick athletes; Trevor Lynch, Rob Merrigan, and Ronan Coughlan will represent Ireland at the European Transplant Sports Championships to be held in Lisbon Portugal from Sunday 21st July – 28th July 2024.
This sporting event will be an invaluable opportunity to showcase the benefits of Organ Donation and it is a true celebration of the Gift of Life.
Trevor Lynch, who works with the Football Assocaition in the UK, was diagnosed with lymphoma in 2011 and had years of chemo which were useful in getting the disease into remission, but it kept coming back and the quality of his life was getting worse each time, leaving him with no energy, very poor sleep, daily migraines.
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Trevor’s only option was to find a donor with a good stem cell match and he was lucky as out of 25 million people worldwide on the the donor register, they found 2 matches.
Trevor said, “The transplant transformed my life. The lymphoma never came back and I have lived a full and active life since 2016. I am so grateful to my donor for saving my life and giving me a second chance at a healthy life.”
Rob Merrigan, Head of Strategic Contracts with Scandinavian Airlines, never realised he was ill or had kidney problems but his best friend’s mother spotted something one day and insisted he went to a doctor. Rob found out that evening he had kidney failure and started dialysis the following day.
Four years later, and he received a living donor kidney from a friend, Derek Brennan, who was in his rugby team.
Rob describes Derek as “a man who didn’t need to do what he did” with Derek noting, “Not only did he contact me first but he wasn’t taking no for answer!”
“He is a tough man too as he completed the Ring of Kerry cycle race just 5 months after the transplant,” said Rob.
Rob himself is part of the Bray Air Display team that run the largest free event in Ireland and he set up a consultancy business while waiting on a transplant.
Ronan Coughlan has had two previous kidney transplants and is currently on Dialysis in Limerick. This year marks his 16th year (combined) of Dialysis treatment and he is now on the waiting list for a third kidney transplant.
His Mum Deirdre was his donor is 2014 and Ronan said, “I got three years of life dialysis free which enabled me to start college. Without her incredible act, I wouldn’t have found my interest in radio first, and then gone to the University of Limerick to complete my Journalism degree. She’s my inspiration for these games.”
There are 27 Irish athletes competing in Lisbon, led by Team Manager Harry Ward from Baldoyle, along with a number of supporters.
Athletes will take part in a variety of Sports including Athletics, Badminton, 10 Pin Bowling, Cycling, Darts, Golf, Swimming, Table Tennis, Tennis, and Petanque.
The Irish Transplant Team holds an excellent record in sporting success, competing at the World, European and British Sports Championships with many Irish athletes holding the World and European records in their sporting disciplines.
This helps to inspire others who are perhaps newly diagnosed with organ failure and are unsure of what their future holds. This year, the Launch Day for the European Sports Championships took place in Kilcullen Community Centre, Co. Kildare on Sunday July 7th.
The motivational speaker was Brian Cody of Kilkenny Hurling fame who presented the Team Kit, sponsored by Punchestown Kidney Research Fund (PKRF) which has raised over 1.9 million to date for kidney related projects.
Brian Cody expressed his admiration for all the Team Ireland transplant & dialysis athletes, he also stressed the need in sports for resilience and bounce back ability. He shared with the group his words to players in the dressing room before an important match, he said, “Go play, don’t let pressure stop you from playing.”
Cody named qualities that he saw in the Irish Transplant team: “determination, drive, ambition, true grit” and he stressed the need for positivity in sport.
Brian also advised the athletes not to worry about things in the waiting few weeks but to enjoy “every moment of it as it was the time of your lives”.
His words motivated all the athletes who will continue their preparations for Lisbon. Present also were Carol Moore, CEO of the Irish Kidney Association, Colin White and Olive Cummins also from the IKA and Robert McCutcheon of the Heart & Lung Federation along with transplanted athletes, supporters and friends.
Kit was also distributed to the 19 athletes taking part in the British Transplant Games in Nottingham. Team Manager Harry Ward also addressed the large crowd present, as did Trevor Lynch, Chairperson of Transplant Sport Ireland.
As well as these Games in Lisbon, Transplant Sport Ireland also have a Team heading to represent Ireland at the British Games in Nottingham in early August and making up this team are six Under 18 athletes along with 3 living donors, 9 transplanted adults and one adult on dialysis.
The Transplant football team will take part in the inaugural World Cup in Cervia, Italy in September so it is a very exciting time for Transplant Sport in Ireland. Trevor Lynch is Chairperson of Transplant Sport Ireland (TSI) who is coordinating the Transplant Team.
This is a volunteer-run organisation where transplant recipients, and dialysis patients, can connect and support one another in a common belief that sport plays a vital part in maintaining good health. The organisation aims to encourage transplant recipients & dialysis patients to lead an active lifestyle, thereby celebrating the gift of life through sport.
Athletes pay homage to their new lease of life, whilst proving what can be achieved. As the governing body for Transplant Sport in Ireland, TSI believes that sport and the camaraderie of Team Ireland promotes an active recovery for transplant recipients, and lends invaluable support to those on dialysis, who meet people on – or previously on – similar journeys. Most importantly, Transplant Sport Ireland is also dedicated to raising awareness of the importance of Organ Donation and continuing to remember and appreciate organ donors and their families.
Organ donors save lives. At any one time in Ireland there are between 550 and 600 people active on waiting lists for organ transplants including heart, lung, liver, bone marrow, kidney, and pancreas.
Making friends and family aware of your wishes on organ donation are the key steps towards saving lives – TSI encourages everyone to Have the Conversation, Say ‘Yes’ to Organ Donation!
Find out more about the 2024 European Transplant Sports Championships here
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