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On Saturday, April 7, the Run for the New Life took place in Wisła. This is an event that supports Polish transplantology. 62 relay teams took part in the Nordic walking march. This is the record of the Run for the New Life! See the summary and photo report of the event.
27-year-old Artur Zychowicz is active, plays sports, he brought back two bronze medals from last year's 21st World Games for People after Transplantation in Malaga, Spain. He works in a very demanding profession, he is a doctor. He started specializing in radiology and imaging diagnostics.
Since childhood, the man struggled with a serious disease, autoimmune hepatitis. An organ transplant becomes necessary over time.Arthur got a new liver in 2011 , he was in his first year of college then. The donor was a young man.
Zychowicz took part in the Run for New Life for the first time. "Such events make the public aware that transplantation is a real way of saving human life," he says.
Today, in the daily work of a doctor, he meets patients who are waiting for a transplant or live with new organs. "I tell my patients that I am undergoing a transplant myself. People are sometimes very afraid of it, they do not know what their life will be like" - says Zychowicz. "Meanwhile, it is not as scary as it might seem. After the transplant one can lead a normal, active life" - he argues.
Bartosz Plachy from Brenna also suffered from autoimmune hepatitis. "The first symptom was a lack of appetite, I was not able to eat breakfast, I felt sick. It alerted my mother, the nurse" - he says. Bartek struggled with the disease for several years.He got a new liver and a new life in 2014 .
Justyna Wandzik from Bytom was only 17 years old when her life was saved by a heart transplant. It was seven years ago. "I live normally. I work, I study at the weekends" - says Justyna. The girl works at the Foundation of the Silesian Center for Heart Diseases in Zabrze. Last year, she was awarded the "Volunteer of the Year" title. This is a distinction for volunteers working for free for the inhabitants of Zabrze. Justyna supports people waiting for a transplant, especially the youngest patients. "People are very afraid of it. They don't know what will happen aftersurgery. I myself did not want to agree to the transplant. I didn't know if I would be able to get back to normal life, "he recalls." When people waiting for a transplant meet with people who have already done it, they approach it differently. They find that it is worth agreeing that there is nothing more valuable than life, "he adds.
All these people took part in the Nordic walking on April 7 to show that thanks to new organs they got a new life.As every year, they were supported by famous people from the world of film, theater, sports and music, journalists and sponsor representatives. On the route we saw, among others, the ambassador of the initiativePrzemysław Saleta, Izabela Zwierzyńska, Mariusz Jakus, Jarosław Kreta, Marcin Mroczek, Ada Palka, Rafał Zawieruła, Dorota Czaja, Jarosław Jakimowicz, Tomasz Oświeciński, Marek Plawgo, Cezary Trybański, Rafał Maślak , Mariusz Kałamaga, Odeta Moro, Grzegorz Kotowicz, Artur Siódmiak, Piotr Gack, Mariusz Jurasik, Joanna Kuberska, Bartosz Obuchowicz, Marta Kuligowska, Jerzy Mielewski and Michał Olszański . The event was also attended byEwa Pacuła , model and journalist, former wife of Przemysław Saleta, ambassador of the Run for New Life, who 11 years ago gave one of his kidneys to their joint daughter, Nicole. Why am I at this event?
"The answer is simple. I was affected by an illness in my family, the rescue was a transplant, I will support this initiative for the rest of my life. My ex-husband is an example that one kidney can function fantastically" - he argues.
The event promotes not only live donation transplants. It also encourages people to wear declarations of will that consent to the donation of organs for transplant after death.
At the finish line it turned out that the best time was achieved by the JBB Bałdyga relay team composed of: Marek Plawgo, Jakub Janczewski, Andrzej Kowalski. Why is it worth supporting the Run for a New Life?
"It's obvious. Organ donation, especially after death, costs us nothing, and it can save someone's life. I carry a declaration of will in my wallet, and I got it at last year's New Life Run. I don't part with it" - says Marek Plawgo.
Graphic artist Andrzej Pągowski says that he remembers such a scene from the movie "Gods" when the family learns that their loved one has died and is asked about the possibility of donating organs. This is the moment when we can all be gods, give someone a new life. Meanwhile, as doctors say,we still have a problem with it and, unfortunately, there are still too few transplants .
"I don't know what's on the other side of whathappens after our death, but if any "points" count, it is worth collecting them. I think that donating your organ or an organ of a loved one and saving someone's life gives you a lot of "points" - says Pągowski, the author of the awards given during the 4th Polish Second Life Transplant Gala. During the ceremony, people and institutions promoting transplantology were honored for the fourth time. in Poland. In the Sport after transplantation category, the award went to Andrzej Haj, in the I support Polish transplantation category, journalist Michał Olszański was awarded, in the Media about transplantation category - Super Express, and in the Partner Run for New Life category - Santander Consumer Bank. category Personality of Polish transplantology, it was received by the national consultant in the field of hematology, Prof. Wiesław Jędrzejczak, who was the first in Poland to perform successful bone marrow transplants.