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www.insideHALTON.com | OAKVILLE BEAVER | Friday, July 22, 2016 | 10 Youth to compete in Canadian Transplant games in August by Julia Le Oakville Beaver Staff Eamon O'Brien can run with the best of them, thanks to a lifesaving kidney transplant he received 10 years ago. The 11-year-old Oakville boy was born with two small kidneys that never fully developed and weren't able to support his body weight, his mother Lara O'Brien explained. At eight weeks old, he was diagnosed with renal dysplasia, a condition, in which the internal structures of one or both of a baby's kidneys does not develop normally while in the womb. He had to have a gastrostomy tube inserted through his abdomen to deliver nutrition directly to his stomach at nine months old, and at age one, his parents were told he was going to need a transplant. Though both parents were tested, Lara was the best choice to undergo the procedure. There was no hesitation, she said about the decision. This was her baby. K a r a s t a n The day after the successful transplant, when Eamon was 18-months-old, Lara recalls he went from a kid who had no taste for anything to one that was "starving and wanted everything." His full set of baby teeth came in a week after the transplant. Today, Eamon is the picture of good health. He has been playing soccer with Oakville Soccer Club since he was four, began playing flag football this year with the Oakville Football Association and in his spare time, rides his bicycle and swims. Sitting in the rec room of his family's south Oakville home one weekday in June, Eamon boasted his relay team placed third by a split second during St. Dominic Catholic Elementary School's track meet earlier that month. Running is his favourite sport -- he's fast, he said. His speed will be put to the test next month when he takes part in the Canadian Transplant Games from Aug. R u g s · 8-13 in Toronto. Since 2000, it has been a showcase where organ transplant recipients from across the country enjoy competition and camaraderie while celebrating a second chance at life. The aim is to also increase organ and tissue donation in Canada and beyond; demonstrate the active and healthy lifestyle that may be achieved following transplantation; promote the success of organ donation and transplantation; offer hope to thousands of Canadians on transplant wait lists; and provide an opportunity to thank donors and donor families for their precious gift of life. Eamon will compete in the 1K road race (for children up to age 17), 50-metre dash, long jump, 5K cycling and 25-metre swim (for ages 12-17). It's his second time in the games, which take place every two years. He first took part at age six in Québec City where he won a gold, two silver and two bronze medals in long jump, 100m dash, 25m swim, H a r d w o o d A r e a M i r a g e Peerless Carpeting · Buyers Edge Guarantee · 200 Store Buying Power DIAMOND PLATINUM Oakville's Eamon O'Brien, 11, is participating in the Canadian Transplant Games Aug. 8-13 in Toronto. Eamon received a life-saving kidney transplant 10 years ago from his mother Lara O'Brien. | photo courtesy O'Brien Family sALe $ 125 Cross Avenue Carpet as Low as 2.99 /sq. ft. InstaLLatIon & Underpad InCLUded! AreA rugs ugs up to 50% opeN SuNDAYS C a r p e t i n g · off or LeSS Following locations only: only SuperStore 125 Cross Avenue, (In Home Depot Plaza) Like us /flooringca oakville 905.849.4472 M i r a g e H a rd w o o d · K a r a s t a n 228 KInG sT. e. Hamilton 905-546-1921 P e r s i a n R u g s 50m dash and shot put, respectively. The O'Briens had taken a family trip to Canadian Transplant Games in 2010 and found it eye-opening. "It's a social event, but it's also a rewarding event," said Lara, noting many people, like those on dialysis, aren't able to function as well in daily life because they lack the energy or health. However, once they get a transplant and are through recovery, they can start to return to everyday life and for some, being able to walk a kilometre is a big accomplishment. "It's a very big event for the young -- and old," she said. Eamon says he's excited about showcasing his athleticism. He's practising on the track at T.A. Blakelock High School, his family swimming pool and participating in his regular sports activities to train. He says he feels no different than anyone else, despite the fact he has to make sure he keeps hydrated, takes medication and stays away from foods like grapefruit that can react with his medication. Eamon gets bloodwork done monthly, visits Sick Kids Hospital in Toronto every three months for checkups and does a few other tests once or twice a year. This is his norm. He also plays video games and sports. "Eamon is a great example of how life can be after a transplant," said Lara, noting she was told by doctors he shouldn't take part in contact sports and was warned he may experience delays in schooling. "He's very active, very strong and very physical," she smiled, adding he gets good marks, too. His health has been great. He hasn't been hospitalized since he was six, although before that, Lara remembers how cautious the family was. "Because he was a baby with a high risk of illness, we put the family into a bubble," she said, noting they had to be careful about exposure and enforced a no sleepovers-rule in flu season. The moment he'd start to cough, he was hospitalized, she said, listing illnesses he had in his early years, including chest colds, three bouts of pneumonia and H1N1. It wasn't easy going back and forth between the hospital and home either, especially when she had two daughters under her watch, Ciara, now 17, and Kalin, now 15. Looking through family photos of his early years and his hospital stays, Lara said despite the challenges they faced as a family, they've been strong thanks to the love and support of friends and family. Eamon has always been a happy child -- even when he was sick, she said. "There were two speeds for him -- asleep and running. There was nothing in between." He'll have to undergo another kidney transplant at some point in his lifetime. His older sister Ciara, who volunteered to donate her kidney when she was seven, but was too young to do so, said she wants to be the one to give him her kidney when the time comes. Having gone through the experience, the family is encouraging others to consider becoming a donor. "You never know when you're going to need it," said Lara, speaking about how many more transplants could be done if people sign their donor card. According to beadonor.ca, there's a chronic shortage of organs and tissue available for transplantation, and the need for organs and tissue in Ontario continues to outweigh their availability. "At present, more than 1,600 Ontarians are waiting to receive life-saving organ transplants, and thousands await lifeenhancing tissue transplants," the website states. "Every three days, one of them dies while waiting for an organ transplant. One donor can save up to eight lives through organ donation and enhance as many as 75 through the gift of tissue donation." To learn more about the process, visit beadonor.ca. For related story, see p.12 Persian Rugs · Peerless Carpeting · 200 Store Buying Power