OCTOBER 2 was a busy day for Olivia Trask, 34, of Cleveland.
On that day, she travelled to Melbourne as a participant in the Australian Transplant Games, competing in the 100, 200 and 400 metre sprints, 100m and 400m relay, long jump and ball throw.
"It might be a tiring day," Olivia said.
This will be Olivia's second Australian games, having competed in Perth in 2008, followed by competition in the World Games at the Gold Coast in 2009.
Besides the sporting competitiveness, Olivia said she enjoyed the games as a chance to "re-connect" with people and share stories.
"It's nice to have something to look forward to. You make friends, connect with them on Facebook and see them the next time around," she said.
"A lot of people go through 'why me?'. I do, every five years or so, but some more regularly. Having a transplant gives you a greater appreciation of your body. It makes you realise how precious our bodies are. When you've been sick your whole life, you don't take it for granted," Olivia said.
Olivia received a kidney transplant from her mother in 2006, after marrying in 2005 and having lived with failing kidneys since age five.
"At age seven, I had an operation to reverse the failure, but the damage was too far gone. My kidneys worsened over the next 20 years until I got the transplant," she said.
Olivia said transplants weren't usually given until absolutely necessary in order to maximise the life span of the kidney.
"Some last a lifetime. Some people have to have a new kidney every few years," she said.
Certainly, the transplant has transformed the life of a girl who loves sport and has energy to burn.
"Before 2006, I used to sleep 18 hours a day, now I play two games of touch football a week, play soccer, run my own business, am doing a second degree in teaching and have a three and a five-year-old," she said.
"I guess I am a high energy person. But there was a time when I would just get home, collapse and sleep. The kidney cleans out the pollutants in the body and when it's not working, you get very tired."
