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Kidney transplant patients participate in 4th National Transplant Games

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Recognise the sporting achievements of organ donors and transplant patients, requests Mumbai-based Narmada Kidney Foundation (NKF), an NGO working for patients of kidney ailments. According to NKF, the winners of this year's National Transplant Games (NTG), which was held in Goregaon on Saturday, will participate in the World Transplant Games (WTG) in Argentina in August 2015.

The foundation has approached the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare & Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports. Dr Bharat Shah, founder of NKF said: "Special olympics and paralympics are gaining global acceptance and encouragement from the sporting authorities. We have requested the ministry to accept the proposal."

As per estimates, about 4 lakh people are diagnosed with kidney failure annually. However, the number of kidney donors is very less. Thus, the gap between the increasing number of patients and the limited number of donors, has been widening year on year.

As part of its awareness programmes, NKF organizes the Transplant Games every year, and invites kidney donors and recipients from across the country to participate. Dr Shah said: "We will sponsor the expenses for participation of winners at the Games. This is for recognizing their service and encouraging more to join this humanitarian cause."

Malad resident, 31-year-old Alistair Sequeira may be one of the few winners who will get to participate in the WTG. Sequeira won a gold medal in table tennis and a silver in short put on Saturday.

A hockey player, Sequeira had kidney problems when he was 17 years old. He underwent a transplant in 2011 when his father donated him one of his kidneys. "I will participate in the games to make a powerful health statement that transplant patients can lead normal lives. I never allowed my ailment to affect my life and worked hard to stay fit and continued to play," said Sequeira.

Sequeira took part in the first NTG a few months after his surgery and bagged gold medals in several events, informed Dr Shah. "Transplant is a big boon for patients with organ failure. The patient's life becomes normal, s/he has a longer life, and doesn't need to undergo dialysis. People have to learn to pledge their organs so that they change patients' lives," said Dr Shah.

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