• Narrow screen resolution
  • Wide screen resolution
  • Auto width resolution
  • Increase font size
  • Decrease font size
  • Default font size
  • default color
  • red color
  • green color

Transplant Team Ireland

Countdown to World Transplant Games - Sweden 2011   2011-6-17 17:00:00 GMT+00:00

Home arrow Officials arrow Dr. Emer Kilbride arrow Dublin Doctor Emer will Take Care of Irish team at World Transplant Games
Dublin Doctor Emer will Take Care of Irish team at World Transplant Games PDF Print E-mail
Written by Colin White   
Saturday, 25 July 2009
ImageA Dublin doctor will travel to Australia next month (AUGUST) as the official medic to the Irish team at the World Transplant Games. Between them, the Irish team have 13 new kidneys, five new livers and one new kidney-pancreas – and by just getting to the starting-line, they are winners already.

Experienced GP Emer Kilbride, who has a background in renal medicine, has travelled with the team to five previous European and World Games.

Last year, she was with the team at the European Transplant and Dialysis Games in Wurzburg, Germany.

Shortly after returning from Australia, she will take up a posting with humanitarian organisation Medecins Sans Frontieres in one of the world’s developing countries.

Dr Kilbride got involved with the IKA when she worked on the kidney transplant unit at Beaumont hospital and was recommended by a friend to travel with the Irish team.

Image“The Games are great way of helping the former dialysis patients return to health and fitness and compete as an athlete,” she said.

“They are celebrating a new lease of life after the dramatic events of their transplants and being on dialysis. It’s all about restoring health and enriching lives.

“We are well supported by the official medical services attached to each of the Games. However, it has been very helpful to have the medical staff travelling with the team. For cases such as a sports injury for example, I can ascertain whether they need further assistance rather than having them wait in an emergency department.

“Also, the athletes get the usual tummy bugs, colds and ‘flu, so it is helpful that I am on hand to help.”
 The squad will travel to Gold Coast, Australia, on Tuesday, August 18th.

“It’s not really about winning, it’s all about taking part. We honour our donors by showing that organ transplantation works. That’s a vital message to promote as the need for a life-saving organ transplant can visit a family with devastating speed, and at any age, even babies and children,” said team captain Mick Dwyer, who ten years ago had a kidney transplant.

The full Irish team is:
Paul Donohoe (Cavan); Michael Dwyer (captain, Dublin); Deirdre Faul (vice-captain, Dublin); Tony Gartland (Wicklow); James Hannon (Longford);  John Loftus (Limerick); Philip Martin (Dublin); Tom Metcalfe (Dublin); Linda Meyler (Galway); Catherine Murphy (Cork); James Nolan (Kildare); John Paul O’Neill (Kilkenny); Paul Prendergast (Dublin); Orla Hogan-Ryan (Tipperary); Charlie Ryan (Cork); Leonard Ryan (Dublin); Angela Sherlock (Dublin); Harry Ward (Dublin); and Vienna White (Donegal.)
The team will be accompanied by manager Colin White; team doctor Emer Kilbride; physio Clare Hogan; and Mark Murphy, the CEO of the Irish Kidney Association, who is also a member of the World Transplant Games governing body. The team kit is sponsored by Shire Pharmaceuticals.

A special website has been built – www.transplantteamireland.com – where supporters can follow the team’s progress and send on messages of support. The site profiles each athlete and will carry daily updates on how the athletes are getting on.

For an organ donor card FREETEXT the word ‘DONOR’ to 50050.
 
[ Back ]

Features

Photo Gallery
Guestbook
Colin's Blog
1234

Send a Message

Send a good luck message to the team

Be a donor

donor card

Give the gift of life. For organ donor cards free text the word ‘DONOR’ to 50050 or log on to www.ika.ie for more information.

 

Newspaper articles

Other Websites









 IKA Facebook page

 Transplant Team Ireland Facebook Page