A 24-year-old transplant athlete from Buckinghamshire has won 5 gold medals for Team GB and NI at the World Transplant Games in Perth.
Flora King had a kidney transplant from her father at the age of 12, after being diagnosed with chronic kidney failure.
Flora was extremely active and a keen hockey player, but in 2009 she began to feel extremely ill, suffering from extreme fatigue and sickness. Shortly after, a biopsy sample showed that her kidneys were only working at only 20% of the level that she needed.
Flora was rushed to Great Ormond Street Hospital, London, where she was told by doctors that she needed a kidney transplant within the next two years to survive.
Luckily, her dad was found to be a match and donated one of his kidneys to her in 2010.
Flora won five gold medals at the 2023 World Transplant Games in Perth.
Dr. Paul Harden, one of Team GB & NI’s Doctors, board member of the World Transplant Games Federation and Chair of Transplant Sport, said: “We are so incredibly proud of each and every athlete that travelled to Perth to compete on behalf of their country. Many of these people have defied the odds, experienced near death situations and battled long illnesses, to see them taking part in sport with transplant communities from across the world is a true inspiration.
“At Transplant Sport our main aims are to, of course, raise awareness of organ donation, but also use sport as a vehicle to encourage families to have crucial conversations and share their organ donation wishes.
It’s been a pleasure to be a part of Team GB & NI and do this on a global scale in Australia and we want to say a big thank you to our
hosts in Perth.
“The World Transplant Games have got us really excited for our own summer of sport, it’s now less than 100 days to go until the British Transplant Games – we can’t wait to see all of our transplanted athletes from across the UK in Coventry in July!”
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