Good Lord I am unfit! Yee-ouch! Brief rundown as follows:
Thursday - Team meeting and Opening ceremony which was my first glimpse of what was to come. We (me and the two other Irish people on the team) then blagged/snuck our way on to a VIP bus which brought us to a VIP ceremony. I think team manager (team managers are allowed to go to the VIP things now and again) Mr Boggy was a bit surprised to see us there. He underestimates the Irish I think. I then took a photo in the very swish VIP bathroom which was rather swanky. The loo roll wasn't that VIP though. I met Jimmy Saville too who I suspect has been knocking back a few transplant medications on the side....*ahem*....
Friday - 3k walk and then out to support the Snooker, Ten Pin Bowling and Darts. It was also an opportunity to share taxis with my team mates, chat to the partners of my team mates and get to know them and yadda, yadda. The English people are just so friendly and welcoming!
Saturday - Tennis and Swimming. Amazing day where I got to talk to members of other teams. Inspiring doesn't begin to cover it. One woman's goal was to dive in and swim the length of the pool as she had just learned to dive.
Sunday - Track and Field (100m and Relay). I got to talk to loads of people who I had met at some of the previous events the days before. The fact that my tennis opponent and my breastroke opponents both cheered for me in the relay says it all.
Sunday night - Leann Davidson Gala dinner. Everyone arm in arm singing You'll Never Walk Alone had the more emotional people in tears. If it hadn't been the transplant games, I'd have sniggered at the cheesiness of it all, blogged about it and sniggered some more but here is probably a rare occasion where such antics are just right.
Monday - Home and learn to walk again. My rehab will start next week me thinks.
3k Walk - Silver medal (don't be under any illusions, I didn't come 2nd in total, but rather 2nd in my age category which would be adults!)
Tennis - Silver medal (ahem default medal ahem hem....but 2nd out of 2 isn't bad)
Swimming - Gold and Silver medal (I earned those ones!)
100m race - fourth
Relay - Fourth in final
Thank you to all who wished me well. To those of you who read this who have had transplants, I seriously can NOT recommend the games higher (more highly??). The social aspect alone is worth it!
Also: Does anyone know what VIP stands for? Very Important Person....But what on earth is so very important about a group of people in suits who haven't had transplants at an event where over a hundred people have been close to the edge and been saved and where there are Representatives from families who have donated loved one's organs? Helllo!!!! Pity I didn't make the TSUK agm!....Or maybe I should just buy a suit and pretend I haven't had a transplant...
