A woman from Stroud is set to represent Team GB at the European Transplant Games 2026, joining hundreds of transplant recipients and dialysis patients from across Europe in a celebration of sport, resilience and the life-saving impact of organ donation.
From 21–27 June, more than 750 participants, including 500 transplant recipients and dialysis patients, will travel from 24 countries to compete in 14 sporting events at the European Transplant Games.
The event is jointly organised by the European Transplant and Dialysis Sports Federation (ETDSF) and the European Heart and Lung Transplant Federation (EHLTF), bringing together athletes whose lives have been transformed by organ transplantation. The Games showcase both the benefits of transplantation and the importance of organ donation.
Among those competing is Dena Wray, from Stroud, who suffered acute liver failure in 2010. Thanks to the generosity of an organ donor and the consent of their family, Dena received a life-saving liver transplant.
Since then, sport has become a major part of her life. Dena will compete in the tennis and padel tournaments at the European Transplant Games for the first time, having previously represented Great Britain at both the British Transplant Games and the World Transplant Games.
Team GB is the largest delegation attending the event, with 150 members. The squad includes 86 adult and five junior competitors who have received a range of transplants, including heart, lung, kidney, pancreas, liver and stem cell transplants. Six living donors will also be competing.
They will be supported by around 60 family members, friends, volunteer managers and physiotherapists, all cheering on the athletes as they demonstrate the possibilities that transplantation can provide.
For Dena and her teammates, the Games are not only a chance to compete but also an opportunity to raise awareness of the transformative power of organ donation and to celebrate the gift of life.
