Woman who came close to death twice before heart transplant takes on British Transplant Games

A Fife woman who came close to death before receiving a life-saving heart transplant is set to lead a new Scottish team at the British Transplant Games.

Alison Gray, from near Auchtermuchty, is taking full advantage of her “second heart” as she trains for a summer of sport.

Her schedule begins in June at the European Transplant & Dialysis Games in the Netherlands, followed by the UK national event in Sheffield.

During the Sheffield competition, she will lead a new team from the NHS Golden Jubilee Hospital in Clydebank – Scotland’s only heart transplant centre.

The Games see around 2,500 people, including more than 1,000 transplant recipients, living donors and their families, participate in a multitude of different sports.

After bringing home gold and silver from Germany at the World Transplant Games last year, Alison returns as a top contender in golf and lawn bowls.

Alison practicing at St Andrews Links STV News

She told STV News: “I’ve met people from all around the world. Despite different cultures and languages, there’s an instant connection and shared understanding.

“We’re there to honour our donors and celebrate the second chance of life we’ve been given. It’s a very emotional weekend, and I’ve made some lovely lifelong friends.”

A lifelong lover of the outdoors, Alison led an active lifestyle and was a keen golfer.

But she was forced to take a step back when her health started to decline.

At 32, she was diagnosed with heart failure after months of feeling unwell, with increasing breathlessness and fatigue.

The following year, she had a pacemaker and an implantable cardioverter defibrillator fitted to regulate her heartbeat. She remained stable for 14 years before contracting Covid in October 2021.

Although she initially thought she had recovered, her condition deteriorated when her defibrillator began firing in February, signalling that her heart was failing.

“The week before I went into hospital, I’d felt absolutely fine. I’d been playing golf, out on my bike, walking my dog.”

Alison was put on the routine list for a donor heart but as her health deteriorated, she was moved to the urgent list.

At one stage she was too ill to undergo the operation – but after having a balloon fitted, she recovered enough to go through the operation a few days later.

“There was a high chance I could have just died waiting. I was extremely lucky to be offered a heart so soon.”

Alison is teeing up for the Games in Sheffield STV News

Though recovery varies, Alison says she was fortunate – returning to the golf course just a week after surgery.

Since then, she has enjoyed having more energy for long cycles, shopping trips and everyday life, describing a “much bigger zest for life”.

“Sometimes you don’t realise that your life is better and your health is better after a transplant. These small things remind you how far you’ve come.”

However, she admits it took time to process the emotional impact of her life-changing surgery.

Now, four years on, she says not a day goes by without thinking about her donor and their family.

“I think after time, that’s when everything starts to catch up. The guilt comes in: I’m alive, but somebody had to die for me to have a second chance, and that weighs on my mind every day.

“I think about my donors and their family every day. Their loved one is no longer here. I feel I have to honour the gift they gave me and make the best of my life and do what I can to keep them alive inside me.”

Alison says taking part in Games is her way of 'honouring' donor and their family — Alison says taking part in Games is her way of ‘honouring’ donor and their family STV News

Alison says taking part in the Games is her way of honouring her donor and showing gratitude to those who give the gift of life.

She was inspired to follow in the footsteps of her brother, who also competed after undergoing a heart transplant at just 17.

Although she faced a setback due to infection following her own surgery, she went on to compete in 2023 for the first time – winning gold and silver medals.

“As soon as I got there, I knew that’s where I needed to be,” she said.

She now encourages other transplant recipients to get involved, whether by training for a sport or taking part in the donor walk to raise awareness of organ donation.

NHS Golden Jubilee Hospital has also launched ‘come and try’ sessions for heart transplant patients, offering opportunities to get active regardless of ability or experience.

“It gives people the opportunity to try something new. No matter your ability, whether you’ve played sport before or not, there’s something out there for everybody.

“We’re all grateful for the gift we’ve been given and we should be as healthy and active as we can be.

“It’s also about promoting the importance of organ donation and helping families have important conversations about their wishes.

“Without organ donation, we wouldn’t be here. We are all people who shouldn’t be here. This is truly our second chance at life.”