Early Monday morning, the concentration of energy and optimism in the Capital's Sports Palace Alau was off scale – on this day the First National Sports Games among people who have undergone organ transplants and patients on dialysis started here.

And sometimes – horse meat

More than 100 athletes from all regions of Kazakhstan, as well as from Russia and Poland arrived in Nur Sultan to participate in the Games from 10 to 13 June. Swimming, volleyball, table tennis, darts, bowling – representatives of several age groups fought for the title of the strongest: 18-29, 40-49, 50-59 and 60-69. The national team will be formed from the leaders of the current competitions to participate in the World Summer Sports Games. In between the starts, participants received dialysis (artificial removal of waste products and excess fluid from the body in renal failure).

Zhandos EKNBAEV of Almaty region is 33. For a year and a half, the physical education teacher was on dialysis until his older brother donated him the kidney in 2013.

– Now everything is fine, I live, play volleyball, tennis. Have habits changed? No, I didn't drink or smoke before the transplant, – says Zhandos.

56-year-old Batyrbai TENIZBAEV came from Mangystau region, also underwent a kidney transplant.

– What a self-explanatory surname you have, just a Caspian one, - I smile during the acquaintance.

– Yes, Neptune, - laughs in response Batyrbai who after the surgery is on the first-degree disability. – I'm now retired, used to work at customs, was a driver –  had quite a varied career. It is ecology that mainly influences kidney diseases, in our region, because of bad water, salt deposits accumulate. Previously, with a diseased kidney, I did not feel the blood pressure of 180/120; once it was 280, and I kept going to work with that. After the surgery in Pakistan (then, they did not perform such operations in Kazakhstan; transplantation cost the man 40 thousand dollars), the pressure returned to normal: 120/80. An aviation pilot! I used to eat food salt free, and now I can afford horse meat sometimes.

When sport is a necessity

Zhanibek OSPANOV, Chairman of the Public Association of transplant patients Omir tynysy – the first-ever person in Kazakhstan whom in August 2012 heart was transplanted from a deceased woman. The operation was performed by the famous heart surgeon Yuri PYA.

– Games like these are an excellent publicity opportunity for people to think about organ donation, to raise their awareness. And we want to demonstrate the physical capabilities of the transplant itself, which returns a person to a full life: one is able to study, work, play sports, – Zhanibek told.

– After transplantation, it is not habits that change – the attitude to life, time, family, and health changes dramatically. You realize that life is not infinite, and you so want to live. And we do sports not because we have nothing else to do – sports activity for people who have undergone transplantation and who are on dialysis is simply necessary for medical reasons, because we drink a huge amount of drugs, and in order to reduce side effects, we need a certain physical exertion. Therefore, we promote the development of doing sports after transplantation in Kazakhstan.

There was one, and now there are many

The Association headed by Zhanibek is a member of both the World and European Federations of athletes among people after transplantation and on dialysis.

– In the world it has been going on for 35 years, our union is five years old. I think we've made good progress: while only 30 people participated in the first competitions in Aktau, this time – there are more than 100.

A few days ago there were competitions among patients of the National Medical Center for Maternal and Child Health - cancer patients and patients with kidney transplants. I was on the organizing Committee. The plans are to bring together competitions among the young and adults who underwent transplantation, – Zhanibek reported to us.

Judit BERENTE, President of the European Federation, who came to Kazakhstan especially for the opening of the Games, thanked Zhanibek and his colleagues for the work done.

Kazakh surgeons performed a unique operation and pulled the girl out of the claws of death 

– Sport among people with transplanted organs has been promoted since 1977. The fact that we are here today speaks about the current turn in medicine in Kazakhstan. A few years ago we saw Zhanibek Ospanov in Munich, he was alone then. And now a lot of people have gathered. We see that this noble sport is developing, – said Judith, who also knows firsthand what life on dialysis and with a transplanted kidney is like.

Presumption of consent

Yuri KANDALOV have come to the capital of Kazakhstan from Ufa. Former navy sailor is now the President of the Social Association Nefro-League for Bashkiria and Vice-Chairman of the Interregional Social Association of nephrological patients Nefro-League.

– After a severe burn injury, the kidneys failed. I went for hemodialysis for nine years. The first year I did not want to live, there was a completely healthy person – and here you are tied to an artificial kidney machine, three times a week for 4-5 hours you lie, you can not go anywhere. Skipping one or two procedures means death…

Then I joined the organization, began to defend the rights of nephrological patients in Russia: there were delays in the supply of drugs to medical institutions, there was a lack of dialysis centers, queues for artificial kidney. We called it the 'death queue' – people died in it without seeing help. Problems began to be solved, soon PPP-based dialysis centers appeared in Bashkortostan, patients there were receiving the required procedures free of charge at the expense of the compulsory medical insurance fund, the 56-year-old Yuri shared with us.

In Bashkiria  5 state dialysis centers remain and 35 dialysis centers opened which also provide guest dialysis. The principle of presumption of consent operates in Russia – if there is no refusal from a post-mortem donation, doctors are at liberty to transplant organs.

– This trend is developing in our republic, annually 47 transplantations of kidneys, 4 - of liver are carried out. And hearts are transplanted too. Last year there were 37 patients, this year new Minister of Health has achieved a quota for 10 more patients.

After a kidney transplantation in 2013, I myself take drugs twice a day (this is a lifetime maintenance therapy), but otherwise I live as a completely healthy person. And at competitions I will give it a try in all sports, - Yury told.

Such games demonstrate: life conquers death, and transplantation is a blessing, an act of mercy that saves hundreds of thousands of people, said the native of Ufa, fleeing to the start of the competition.

We wish you new starts!

Beksultan TUTKUSHEV, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the National Research Center for Cardiac Surgery, continued the topic:

– In the 90-ies in Kazakhstan there was no funds for organ transplants, so many people died without receiving the needed medical care... And since 2012 we have conducted 1 800 organ transplants, including 1 150 – of kidneys, 280 – of liver, 80 – of heart.

Let's say thank you to the relatives who gave their consent to organ transplantation, and to those people who went to the next world, but their hearts gave people a chance to live.

I am also grateful to the religious communities, in particular the Muslim community, which issued a fatwa that transplantation is a godly thing. To the medical professionals who perform the operations. And to the participants of the competition I would like to wish a long life and happiness!

We would like to wish the participants of the First National Games among people after organ transplants and patients on dialysis new starts. And the main victory – one of life over death – you have already won once!