A SCOTTISH teenager has been selected to represent Great Britain at the World Transplant Games in Australia in April 2023 – but needs help to get there.
Eloise Lowrie, 17, from Rothienorman, Aberdeenshire, has been picked to compete in badminton and table tennis, in which she won gold and silver at the British Transplant Games this year.
Eloise received a new heart when she was just over a year old and has competed in the British Transplant Games most years since she was 18 months old as part of Great Ormond Street Hospital’s hearts and lungs team.
GOSH is one of only two paediatric heart transplant units in the UK.
Her mother, Sarah, said: “Eloise wants to use this fantastic opportunity not only to honour her donor and their family for their truly amazing gift, but to also raise awareness of organ donation and the need for child donors.
“It is a very difficult topic to think about your wishes as an adult, but even harder to consider what you would want to do if the worst were to happen to your child.
"If Eloise can help get people thinking and talking about their wishes – whatever they decide to do – that would be amazing.
“We can never thank her donor family enough for thinking about saving other children at the worst point of their lives. They have allowed us to have our daughter for an extra 16 years (so far!) and perhaps helping others to talk about their wishes may go a small way to show our gratitude.”
Eloise has to fund the trip herself at a cost of about £6000 for her and an accompanying adult. She is looking for sponsorship – click here to donate.
Any money raised goes directly to Transplant Sport which Eloise can then access for Games-related costs only. Any extra money will go to the charity.
