Whitchurch liver transplant patient's podium place
When John Wainwright underwent a liver transplant six years ago, thoughts of taking part in competitive sport felt like a distant dream.
The security engineer, from Whitchurch, had been diagnosed with the rare Hepatitis Seronegative disease, which prevents the liver from regenerating.
Fortunately, the keen snowboarder underwent a successful transplant operation and went on to make a full recovery.
Now, the 32-year-old has overcome the odds once again to win a gold medal at the World Winter Transplant Games.
The event was held in the French resort of La Chapelle d'Abondance last month with Mr Wainwright taking top spot in the snowboarding slalom at his very first attempt. He said: "Your liver is the only organ that is regenerating all the time, that happens in everyone but for some reason mine stopped. Nobody knows what caused it but I underwent an operation and everything was okay and I got back to a normal life.
"Then I heard about the transplant games which encourages people who have undergone transplant operations to compete in sport. In many ways it's like the Olympics with a British, European and World version and there is also a World Winter Transplant Games. When I heard about that I thought I would enter because I've been a keen snowboarder for many years."
Mr Wainwright said he put himself through a training program by practising in his home and at the Telford Snowboard & Ski Centre and at the Chill Factore in Manchester. He said: "As silly as it sounds I did a lot of practising at home and then set on a personal training program in Telford which is where I first learnt how to snowboard. I went to Manchester whenever I could and then set off for France not for one minute thinking I could win."
Mr Wainwright took part in his event against 10 other competitors from around the world.
He said: "It was my first ever competition, I've honestly never done anything like it before so to win was just incredible, especially in a sport which Britain isn't very well known for. There were people from all around the world taking part and it was great to be able to meet people who have been through something similar to me.
"It was a brilliant feeling though and then I went up onto the podium and was given my medal."
