Darien Resident Medals at National Transplant Games

Susan English, a resident of Darien, recently participated in the Donate Life Transplant Games of America August 2-8, 2018. A member of Transplant Life Illinois/Team Illinois, she and her 70 teammates converged on Salt Lake City, Utah along with 3,200 others for the national 5 day sports festival which highlights the importance and need for organ donation.

English competed in the swimming and Team Trivia events. In her swim events, English captured the Gold Medal in the 200 Freestyle and Bronze Medals in the 100 Freestyle, 100 Breaststroke and 50 Butterfly in the Women’s 50-59 age category. As a member of the Team Illinois Trivia Team, English repeated her Gold Medal effort from the 2016 Transplant Games in Cleveland, Ohio this year in Salt Lake City.

English was diagnosed with liver disease and cirrhosis at age 29 in 1990. In 2013, she received a lifesaving liver transplant from an unknown deceased donor at Northwestern Memorial Hospital. Since her transplant, English has worked hard to regain her health, return to her career and resume a normal life. She first decided to participate in the Transplant Games of America in 2016 to honor her donor and promote organ donation awareness. “As a kid, I enjoyed competitive swimming, but after living with the effects of chronic liver disease over the years, any type of physical exercise became impossible. In 2013, three months after my transplant, I joined my health club, Five Seasons Family Sports Club in Burr Ridge, and began the slow process of rebuilding my health. This year, I worked with their Aquatics Director, Char Mahar on improving my strokes, stamina, and times. Her knowledge and hard work on my part led to good results at the Games.”

English is also active in organ transplant and donation awareness. She volunteers for Organ Transplant Support, Inc., a suburban support group for transplant candidates and recipients based out of Naperville and is a volunteer ambassador for Gift of Hope Organ and Tissue Network, based in Itasca. English knows first hand the importance of organ donation. For information on how to register as an organ donor, go to the Sectetary of State’s Organ and Tissue website at https://www.lifegoeson.com. For more information about Transplant Life Illinois/ Team Illinois go to http://www.goteamillinois.org/.

English hopes to compete with her Illinois teammates in the next Donate Life Transplant Games scheduled for July 2020 in Meadowlands, NJ.