Heart Of Gold

07 September 2009Wanganui heart transplant recipient Jane Towers proved her new heart is worth its weight in gold at last week's World Transplant Games.

This year was Mrs Towers' first time entering the games as part of a New Zealand contingent of 24 athletes, competing against 2000 participants from 45 countries on Australia's Gold Coast.

The New Zealand team came home with a record breaking 30 medals, 5 of which were from Mrs Towers' efforts in the pool, which saw her take home 4 golds, 1 silver and a new transplant games world record.

Mrs Towers won gold in the women's age 30-39 50m and 200m freestyle, 50m butterfly and 200m individual medley and silver in the 100m freestyle.

It was in the 200m freestyle event that she beat the world record of 3:02:89, with her own time of 2:59:00.

Mrs Towers said she had seen the world records and thought they were quite fast going into the games.

"I was very nervous. I'm used to swimming in a 25-metre pool too, so a 50-metre pool was so much bigger, and my times were slower because of that."

Mrs Towers said she stepped up her training a month before the games from three or four times a week to more than an hour in the pool, seven days a week.

"I would have been disappointed to come back to Wanganui with nothing, because I trained really hard."

Mrs Towers had a heart transplant six years ago after she was diagnosed with cardiomyopathy post-partum, or an enlarged heart.

She said without the transplant she wouldn't be here.

"It's something people should discuss with their families, so everyone knows what your wishes are. It's a very difficult decision to make for families, even if you have "donor" marked on your licence."

After having a transplant, Mrs Towers said she wanted to challenge herself, and had always been an active person who swam competitively as a child.

"After my transplant, I decided I wanted to do something different, and I'd heard about the World Transplant Games and talked to Dave Wakeling [her coach] about it. I went into the New Zealand Masters Games in February and my times were OK compared to the transplant games', so I thought I might be able to do it."

The games were about donor awareness and what people with donated organs could achieve, she said.

"It was amazing. People with transplants who would probably never compete professionally got to give it a go and compete really well against people who are really competitive."

"There were 102 children there, as young as five. When you see these young children swimming against each other, it's amazing. They've had these big operations, and they're out there training and competing."

Mrs Towers thanked her coach, Dave Wakelin, and her family and supporters who were there for her throughout her games training.

Her immediate family and her aunt and uncle accompanied Mrs Towers to the games and made sure their voices were heard when New Zealand was competing.

"We had a small number of support people compared to some of the teams, and they did a great job of cheering us on," Mrs Towers said.

Mrs Towers' next challenge is the Taupo Half Ironman, where she will compete in a team of three on December 12

By Kathryn King - Wanganui Chronicle