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the beplay.asp (pha uk) is supporting this summer\u2019s westfield health british transplant games in newport, wales, and the world transplant games in gateshead, newcastle. <\/p>
the charity is sponsoring darts at the british games, and\npetanque \u2013 a ball game like boules \u2013 at the world games. <\/p>
the westfield health british transplant games take place\nfrom 25-28 july and the world transplant games – whose other sponsors include\nhsbc and greggs – take place from 17-24 august. <\/p>
pulmonary hypertension (ph) is a serious lung and heart\ndisease affecting just 7,000 people in the uk. there is no cure and if patients\ndon\u2019t respond to treatment, they may undergo a lung and \/ or heart transplant. <\/p>
iain armstrong, chair of the pha uk, said: \u201cthis is a golden opportunity to raise awareness of pulmonary hypertension as a disease, to encourage organ donation, and, just as importantly, to talk about transplantation as a potential treatment pathway for people with ph. <\/em><\/p> \u201cwe chose the events to sponsor carefully. darts has a strong social element to it, with the added benefit of bringing people together, which is very important to us as a rare disease charity. and petanque is accessible to most people, regardless of their fitness level. <\/em><\/p> \u201cwe\u2019re really excited to be supporting both the world and british transplant games, which both show that what might be impossible one day, can be possible the next.\u201d <\/em><\/p> more than 60 transplant teams from across the uk are\nexpected to take part in the westfield health british transplant games, which\nare held every year. the world transplant games, also staged annually, will see\naround 3,000 competitors from 70 countries descend on tyneside for the sporting\ncelebration. <\/p> dan peel, 26, from reading, had a double lung transplant in\nfebruary 2018 after living with pulmonary hypertension. he is competing in the\nwestfield health british transplant games for the second year; in the golf,\nball throw, javelin, shot-put and 25-metre relay events.<\/p> he said: \u201ci wanted to prove i could get back on my feet, and i\u2019m doing it again because it\u2019s a great chance to catch up with my team, who became like a little family. <\/em><\/p> \u201calso, as a second-year competitor, it\u2019s a good chance to see those who have had their transplants after me and to encourage them that they can also do whatever they put their minds to.\u00a0 <\/em><\/p> \u201cthe pha uk sponsoring the games is an incredible opportunity to raise awareness of ph itself, as not many people know about it. it\u2019s a great way to spread the news of what we are doing to combat it, and the journeys that people are going through and what the options are post-transplant.\u201d<\/em>\u00a0 <\/p> professor paul corris, former director of cardiopulmonary transplantation at the freeman hospital in newcastle, and now medical director of the world transplant games, added: \u201cbecause pulmonary hypertension is a rare condition, sometimes it\u2019s difficult to engage with the public around it. this sponsorship provides a glorious opportunity to do that, to showcase ph, and show what we can do with modern medicine to restore health and vitality. <\/em><\/p> \u201cthe ability to work with pha uk on this is perhaps the first step in what will become a long tradition of mutual support.\u201d\u00a0 <\/em><\/p> symptoms of ph typically involve breathlessness, fatigue,\nblack-outs and swelling around the ankles, arms and stomach. ph affects the\nability to carry out basic tasks and get around. <\/p> the pha uk is based in sheffield, south yorkshire. it is\nthe only charity in the uk dedicated to supporting the ph community; made up of\npatients, their family and carers, and nhs professionals.<\/p> notes\nto editor<\/strong><\/p> images show iain\narmstrong, chair of the pha uk, and dan peel, a participant in the westfield\nhealth british transplant games. <\/p> a video showing iain, dan\nand professor corris talking about the games can be viewed here<\/a> <\/p> media contact: mary ferguson on 01226 766900 or at mary@capitalbmedia.co.uk<\/a><\/p> about\npulmonary hypertension (ph)<\/strong><\/p> people can be born with ph or develop it at any time and it\ncan affect anyone, regardless of age or ethnic background. it affects more women\nthan men.<\/p> adult patients with ph are treated at seven specialist\ncentres across the uk. children with the disease are treated at great ormond\nstreet children\u2019s hospital in london. <\/p> the seven adult specialist ph centres in the uk are within\nthe freeman hospital in newcastle; golden jubilee national hospital in glasgow;\nroyal hallamshire hospital in sheffield; papworth hospital nhs trust in\ncambridgeshire; and hammersmith hospital, royal brompton hospital and royal\nfree hospital in london. <\/p> for further information about pulmonary hypertension visit www.aselpijama.com<\/a>, call the pha uk\noffice on 01709 761450 or e-mail office@phauk.org.<\/a> <\/p> pha uk is a registered charity no: 1120756<\/p> about\nthe world transplant games 2019<\/strong><\/p> the world transplant games 2019 are delivered by\ndestination management and marketing organisation, newcastlegateshead\ninitiative, on behalf of transplant sport, and in partnership with a range of\nstakeholders and partners. <\/p> the world transplant games are staged annually (alternating\nbetween summer and winter). in\n2017 they were held in malaga, spain, and 2021 will see them head to houston in\ntexas. <\/p>![\"\"](\"\/\/www.aselpijama.com\/app\/uploads\/2019\/06\/dan-peel-1-1024x576.jpg\")
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