I looked for an angel to give me life, and I found him……
Now I am embroidering new dreams,
in particular to become an Olympic swimmer
And to represent the State of Israel at the World Transplant Games
Hi, my name is Eti and I am very excited and privileged to approach you and thank you for allowing me to tell you my story.
I am a young kidney transplant recipient; I was transplanted three years ago. I have a dream which has kept me positive in this extremely challenging life as a transplant recipient. My dream is to take part in the World Transplant Games which will take place during August 2019 in Northern England.
The Games have been taking place for the past 35 years. I am inserting a link for the WTG website for the games which take place internationally every second year during the summer and winter months. Every time the games take place in a new venue throughout the world and representatives from over 60 countries participate. This year 2500 sportsmen and women have signed up.
Over the past two and a half years, since my transplant, I have been training, swimming and walking. Despite all the difficulties and stumbling blocks en route I have passed all the checkups and was accepted to the WTG to swim and walk.
During the past year, a team of Israeli transplant recipients from throughout the country got together and formed a team to represent Israel. Because we are pioneers in the field, we do not have financial support from the government. We decided therefore that each of the sportsmen would raise his/her own funds to cover the costs of the preparation, the trip and participation in the games. The costs are extremely high and we cannot cover them all, and we would appreciate any assistance that we can get.
After much deliberation I decided to embark on a personal campaign. Firstly, in order to make the Israeli public aware of these Olympic Games, to awaken awareness and to help us to participate. It is important that both donors and recipients are aware of the games, whose main purpose is to encourage physical sports among transplant patients in the world and in this way to say thank you, thank you for your donation, thank you for your care, thank you for life!
Secondly, my aim is to raise the necessary funds for myself/other participants to complete the funding for our trip and the preparations therefore.
This is my personal story, in detail:
My name is Eti Chen Breier and I am a member of Kibbutz Nir David, 51 years of age, married to Ronen and mother of Yuval, aged 26, an officer in the permanent forces, Tsor, aged 22 , combat support in the Naval Fleet.
I have lived in the Emek Hamaayanot area since 1988 and this Valley is my home. All my adult life I have represented the Emek in Israel and internationally, with great joy, pride and huge love. Throughout my life I was a senior swimming coach, photography, photographic teacher for stills and video, and a tour guide for family tours to Europe. I guided thousands of people in various field, including prisoners in the Shita prison, where I produced a video film and video art. I have a studio on the Kibbutz and my door is always open to anyone whose spirit may blow in my direction, I always wanted to be like everyone and even more.
I was born with genetic kidney disease, a disease for which there is no cure. I discovered that I was ill at the age of 25 when my first child was born. This disease is known as Polycystic Kidneys, the cysts grow and expand with time and take over all the space required by the kidney. At some point they cause acute final kidney failure and then the ideal solution is to have a kidney transplant which literally saves the patient and grants him a new life without the disease.
Four years ago I was advised that I had reached the stage of two non-functioning kidneys and I needed an urgent transplant in order to live, my status was determined to be final end-stage kidney failure. At this point everything was different and limiting, the ability to work, to stand, to sit to walk to eat, to drink, to breathe, to sleep, every stage of every day required tremendous energy.
Within a short time I lost my job, my income and the ability to be independent. I underwent a terrible crisis due to the fact that I needed to have a transplant in order to continue to live. I felt that I was standing on the edge of a cliff and about to fall, I was so alone, no-one knew I was ill, except for my husband, who was checked and found not suitable for transplant. I did not know what to do; an existential fear took hold of me.
I started making inquiries with regard to transplant options in Israel and overseas. As my disease was genetic my family was unable to donate and I understood that I needed to find an altruistic donor. I quickly realized that the situation in Israel and throughout the world was complicated particularly in terms of availability of the kidneys (both dead and alive) and the list was very long (years). The sentence stuck in my head from all the searching was "there is a worldwide shortage of kidneys".
During my research I heard of the organization called "Matnat Chaim - the Gift of Life) run by Rabbi Yeshayahu Haber and suddenly I was hopeful and had faith that there was a way. I initiated an evening of exposure to my disease and my need for an altruistic donor. The evening took place in the Emek Hamaayanot with the support of Matnat Chaim and the local area council. The decision to expose myself was not easy for me and my family. After much deliberation we understood that there was no other option but to open up and begin searching for an altruistic donor.
I called my journey "I went out to look for an angel to give me the gift of life"
And I declared "I am looking ….. For a kidney, pretty and strong from a good home, that we will accompany me on a new path."
The evening had a double fold intention. On the one hand I wanted to raise awareness of the subject of kidney transplants, and altruistic donors in Israel, and to raise inspiration and thought, to plant the seeds. On the other hand I wanted to open my journey to find a potential kidney donor for myself. We hosted donors and recipients who told of their experiences, each from their own point of view. The production and the evening itself brought me together with many good people who gave me great hope and strengthened my spirit.
The evening was extremely successful and at the end of the evening several people from the area signed up to be tested to donate to me. Several were found unsuitable to donate, and several continued on to donate a kidney, my donor was found after a few months, born on one of the religious kibbutzim in our area, married with five children.
I was privileged, a miracle occurred and three years ago on 19/7/2016 I underwent a kidney transplant in Rambam Hospital.
As a result of my choice to be active, not to give up and to fight for my life, I am alive today. My active campaign brought me my angel who gave me my kidney and additional kidney donors from our Valley. To date there have been six transplants from the area and there are more en route, with the help of God.
I now have a new status, kidney transplanted, a very large challenge. I take many medications , each one with its many side effects, in order to deal with these side effects I decided to engage in physical activity and discovered a new and wonderful world which allows me to contact the world outside, fresh air and nature. I have unfortunately not yet returned to work and I am mostly at home alone, the sport keeps me strong and helps me to deal both physically and emotionally with my new situation and of course to assist with my recuperation, and recovery of my body from the damage caused by the kidney failure.
Now I have a new dream:
Before the transplant I underwent a series of tests and talks at Rambam Hospital. At the first visit the Manager of the Transplant Department told me, in order to encourage me "there is a life after transplant". He told me "there is even an Olympic Games for transplant patients which takes place every two years in a different part of the world". I was surprised and a huge smile appeared on my face, I decided and even declared between me and myself at that exact moment "One day I will reach the Olympics". It raised me up particularly because I come from the world of competitive sport, I was a senior swimming coach for many years and I trained many swimming teams. The knowledge that this option existed planted hope within me that everything is possible.
When I arrived home after the transplant, whilst recovering on a special sofa, barely able to get up off the sofa, I began to embroider dreams of sports and a new life, the path is not simple or easy but since then and to date I exercise as best I can and as much as my body will allow, I walk and I swim. During the past two years I have taken part in walking and swimming competitions nationally, particularly in open water. This year I crossed the sea of galilee for the first time ever!
I share this with my entire family, my house is full of light, positive atmosphere and joy centered around the sport, and it is great fun.
Sport is the best way for us, the transplant patients to live their new life that they have been given as a gift and it is our responsibility to look after what we have received. Sport strengthens and maintains our healthy physical and mental state as a result of the many medications we need to take and their side effects (of which there are many).
Sport is our connection to life. Unfortunately I am still unable to work, but I volunteer, present workshops to strengthen internal resilience through photography and writing, lecture and tell my story, but my main connection to my environment is when I go and swim or walk. Through the sport I say thank you for the donation I received, thank you for my family's support, thank you to my body which was jerked around. Making the Olympics my purpose gives me meaning and motivation to get up in the morning and stay active and believe me it is very challenging.
Thank you for listening, for the opportunity to share with you and I truly hope that together we can fulfil the dream to send an Israeli team to the WTG, donors and recipients, adults and children to represent our beautiful country to the world.
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Do you need more information? Having a problem? Do you have a question for me?
Please contact me on Wattsap 00 - 972 - 507576339
Thank You
Eti Chen Breier
