Local transplant recipient wins gold
Five-year-old Alec Maddocks couldn’t walk for three months after a liver transplant operation in 2007. Last month, the Bondi Beach Public School pupil won a gold medal in the under-5 running division of the Transplant Games 2009 held on the Gold Coast.
Born with a liver disease, Alec’s life hung in the balance as his health deteriorated. An anxious half-year wait ended when his parents received a 1am phone call with the news that a matching liver had been found. He was operated on at Westmead Children’s Hospital – his parents moving in with him as his older sister, Ashley, attended kindergarten.
His mother, Nicole Maddocks, said: “It was a rocky recovery. He didn’t wake up for a month after the operation. When he did, his little legs were so weak that he couldn’t walk. But kids are amazing.”
Alec would prove he is. He and his family had a goal: first he would walk, and then he would run.
“I know how to get faster at running,” Alec said. “Do lots of exercise.”
Two years after Alec’s operation, his family cheered for him – the youngest competitor in the international games – as he lined up in the 50-metre dash. He joined 910 transplant recipients turned athletes from 40 countries.
As he crossed the finish line, his bravery was rewarded with a gold medal.
Alec’s father, Matt Maddocks, said: “Ultimately, the winners are the organ donor families who made the great choice to donate their loved one’s organs so that others may live on.”
Nicole Maddocks said if more donor organs were available, there’d be fewer people on waiting lists. “There are 1800 people on waiting lists and many of them die,” she said.
To help people like Alec, go to www.transplant.org.au
– By Matt Khoury
