BANGOR sisters who went through the organ transplant journey together are celebrating after achieving a number of personal bests at the World Transplant Games in Germany.
Jenny Keery donated a kidney to her sister Karen, following renal failure when she was teenager, and were among a Northern Ireland team who competed in Dresden against participants from all over the globe in a range of athletic sports.
The Games, which have been running for almost 50 years, promote organ donation and encourage more people across the world to register as potential donors.
Jenny was among a small number of donors to compete, joining big sister Karen, in their second World Transplant Games together.
Karen said receiving her sister’s kidney gave her ‘the gift of life, as they say’ when she was so ill she was ‘fit for nothing’.
Individually, Jenny, competing in the donor 40-49 category, came first in the 5k road race with a personal best time of 23.50.
She secured three further first places in the 3000m race walk with a time 19:21; the 100m track (16.61) and long jump with a leap of three metres and 20cm.
Jenny also came fourth in the 50F swim in a time of 45.56.
Karen took part in the recipient 40-49 category, achieving a personal best in the 5k road race with a time of 23:07.
The mother of one young son came second in the women’s team triathlon (5k run), with a combined time 60:17:05, and came fourth in the 1500m track, securing another personal best.
She came fourth in the long jump, leaping a distance of three metres, 55cm and came in third place in the 4×400 women’s relay in a time of 5.30.50.
