Running after a kidney transplant by Adam, 14

Read Adam's real story to find out more about life after a kidney transplant, and being treated at Great Ormond Street Hospital.
 

On a Monday I do cricket for my local team. Tuesday I do athletics. Wednesday I play cricket for my Berkshire team. Thursday I do athletics. Friday is football training. Saturday is athletics and football obviously on a Sunday morning.

I run for Great Ormond Street Hospital - every year they have a transplant games which is like a big athletics meeting for all the hospitals around the UK of people who've had transplants. They get together and have a little athletics meeting and a big dinner at the end. Most years I win more than two, maybe three, gold medals. So, yeah, I do pretty well.

Transplant games

I got involved in the transplant games mainly because I did have a transplant when I was two. I had a kidney transplant. I don't remember anything at all from my transplant.

Mainly from when I was born till four, I spent most of my early years in Great Ormond Street Hospital.

From when I was five all the way through till now I've been healthy really. I take medication twice-a-day and then I take a tablet at school. I've never not taken my medication – every morning every night.

Even at school if I'm out in the playground or something I'll always stop, take my tablet and then carry on doing what I was doing. I have to watch out for like, crisps, chocolate – what the normal people have to watch out for. But, that's about it really.

One of my training partners is Liam and he's a 21-year-old athlete who can run under 10.5 seconds at the moment. And he's still injured so I'd hate to see what he runs when he's not injured.

Normal person

When the gun goes off all I think about is getting from one end to the other as fast as I can. I'm as competitive as you can get.

Even if there's a game of football in the playground or something, it really is competitive stuff. It just feels really natural to be competitive against other people.

Obviously at the back of my mind I feel that I've got a transplant but, in the front of my mind as a person, I can keep up with everyone, I don't struggle. So, I feel myself as a normal person. Even though I may not be on the inside, I still am on the outside really.

I don't think that I'd give up sport. Even if I did have to have another transplant I wouldn't stop sport at all.

I really want people who have had transplants to get out there and do it. Just have a go at it – even if you don't like it. Just have a go and then just keep, keep going. Just keep going.

This story may have been edited for editorial and confidentiality reasons only.