Many people do not know, but almost two thousand people in our country still need life-saving organs, and there are even more people who have already received organ transplants. Most people, 1046, are waiting for a kidney. 108 for the liver, 91 for the heart, 9 for the lungs, 39 for the kidney-pancreas, and 515 for the bone marrow, according to data from the National Blood Supply Service. All hospitals must report if they have a donor, because one person can save 4-5 lives. A total of 45 signals have been received so far this year. Most, 8, are from the member hospital in Nyíregyháza. The Petz Aladár University Teaching Hospital in Győr was synonymous. This year, 70 organ transplants took place in our country.
Photo: Balázs Csapó
New life and solidarity for organ transplant recipients
– In 2021, we founded the Győr-Moson-Sopron and Vas Counties Sport and Interest Protection Association (GyőrSzeVas) and became a member association of the Hungarian Organ Transplant Association. We currently have 75 members. Our most important goal is to help transplant recipients in rehabilitation and in developing a healthy lifestyle. Most of our members have already been transplanted, there are one or two people still on the waiting list. Through the Euro Transplant organization, we can receive organs from any member country, so it is easier to find suitable ones – Judit Kovács, executive director of the GyőrSzeVas Association, shared with our newspaper.
– At the moment, in Hungary, no one has to make a separate statement about wanting to donate their organs after death. If not prohibited by the relative, they can be used. Live donor donation is also possible for certain organs. There are married couples in our association where the husbands gave their wives one of their kidneys. Today, this is also possible with a different blood group. An ethics committee examines whether there is an emotional connection between the parties, as this is a condition. There are also strict rules about who can get on the waiting list, the executive told the information.
Sport keeps you healthy
– Medical research proves that regular exercise can increase the lifespan of an implanted organ by up to 30 percent. Due to the risk of injury, contact sports such as handball or volleyball are not recommended. We try to involve as many of our members as possible in mass sports and leisure sports events. Our goal is to create a community where members can help each other, said the executive. – We can also support them so that they can participate in competitions. In the last three years, our competitors have won several medals at international competitions. Last year, at the World Organ Transplant Games in Australia, our bone marrow transplanted badminton player Krisztina Varga from Sopron achieved 4th individual place. This year, it is expected that 3 of our competitors will qualify for the European Championships of Organ Transplants and Arthritis in the sports of badminton, swimming and bowling in the summer in Lisbon – Judit Kovács detailed their sports results.
Colorful programs
Every year, the association organizes multi-day Lifestyle Camps, bicycle tours and Lifestyle Club programs, where its members can try different sports. Regular sports opportunities are provided in Győr: squash, padel, tennis, table tennis and bowling await those interested. Permanent pitches are booked on demand. They give lectures on healthy living and offer additional community building programs. Friendships are forged through these, which makes rehabilitation easier. There is also the possibility of entertainment, they buy passes to the theaters in Győr and Szombathely every year.
– As an interest protection association, we also help our members and those who come to us, those waiting for an organ and their relatives, with advice – Judit Kovács, who herself received an organ transplant and received a liver in 2017, shared with our newspaper. – I needed rehabilitation, and I was looking for a community that did not exist in our county at that time. We have been building our association since 2021 with partners from the Vas County and Győr area, he added.
- The GyőrSzeVas Association holds a sports day on Saturday, where they welcome the applications of their future new members and other association members. More information about the sports day is available on the social media page of the association.
