A team of transplantees successfully completed the London Triathlon last weekend.

Russell Clinker, Ernesto Antonio and Helen Hayton made up The Gift of Life Team which was sponsored by UK Transplant.

Never before has a team of transplantees taken part in the event.

The team used the race to raise awareness for the Organ Donor Register and funds for their two charities Heart Research and Kidney Research UK.

Helen Hayton from Biggin Hill, tackled the running stretch of the event. She had a kidney transplant at St Helier Hospital, Surrey, in 2000.

The donor was her twin brother Bernie. She had Wegeners Granulomatosis, an auto- immune disease, when she was 20 and was on kidney dialysis for two-and-a-half years.

Helen found a passion for sport after her transplant operation and from advice by her her doctor to keep fit in order to take care of her new kidney.

Helen said: "I'd been given this huge gift from my brother, he said, it's your kidney now so live life with it'.

"He is really fit and runs marathons so I started setting myself small goals and just pushed myself more and more.

"I represented my hospital, St Helier, at the British Transplant Games and I was asked to represent Britain at the World Transplant Games after that."

Since then Helen has been to four British Transplant Games, two World Transplant Games and three Nice Prom Classique races.

She added: "I feel really lucky I had my brother - there are many on the transplant list who aren't so lucky. This is why I compete in these events to get people talking about carrying donation cards."

After her transplant, Helen left vetinary nursing to join the London Ambulance Service and she hopes to become a paramedic.

She said: "I wouldn't be able to do these things without my kidney. It changes your life completely, in so many ways.

"The team did well at the event and we all really enjoyed it. We did it in two hours and 38 mins."

The transplant list

  • There are currently 219 people registered for an organ transplant in the postcode areas of London SE, DA and BR: 1 needs a pancreas 2 need a heart/lungs 3 need a kidney/pancreas 6 need lung(s) 11 need a liver 196 need a kidney
  • Last year 80 people received an organ transplant and six people died waiting
  • A total of 290,630 people are currently registered on the NHS Organ Donor list
  • To join call the Organ Donor Line 0845 6060400 or visit the website uktransplant.org.uk