I was born with Cystic Fibrosis & led a relatively normal childhood, doing anything and everything I wanted to do. As I got older, my body started to weaken and things went downhill for me pretty quickly.

At 27 I was on 24/7 oxygen and required overnight tube feeding to maintain a weight which the hospital were ok with. I was on almost constant intravenous medication and regularly stayed in Papworth Hospital for weeks at a time. Although I had all this going on, I worked 25 hours a week for my local hospital and I even still went swimming (WITH the oxygen cannister being carried alongside the pool edge!)

I was listed on the active transplant list for a set of double lungs. 17 days later I received my life saving call. Less than 3 weeks later I was home again, and within 3 months I had moved house AND got married - all without tubes, machines or coughing!!

As soon as I got the OK from my transplant team, I was back in the water swimming, then I started gym classes and a little while after I joined a local social netball league. I FINALLY had a body that could keep up with my head!

8 months after my transplant I completed a 26 mile "fright hike" through Epping Forest, at night, on Halloween with my Mum and our friend Lyn. We dressed up as zombie doctors just because we could!! We raised money for Clerks Farm Greyhound Rescue Centre & the Papworth CF Unit.

In 2018 I discovered the amazing thing that is Transplant Sport and the Transplant Games. I immediately signed up to join the Papworth Team in Birmingham for the 2018 Games, then subsequently entered the 2019 Newport Games and was all set for the 2020 Games, but obviously the world had other things in mind!

At Newport I had a spare day and decided to do Ten Pin Bowling for "a bit of a laugh"... in the run up to the Games, Glen and I went bowling a few times to practice... and it unleashed a bowling monster in my husband which led to us going frequently, even after the Games!

We are now in a competitive league locally and we bowl regularly together (I do go without him from time to time too - don't tell him!) so I think it is safe to say we are both "hooked" on the sport!

I joined Team GB & NI in Oxford this year for the European Transplant & Dialysis Games solely focusing on Bowling. I competed as a single and also in the doubles and mixed doubles. I had an absolute blast and achieved my highest series scores with each session. I love playing in league with Glen, but doing this kind of doubles was a whole other level! I even medaled with my partner Diana on my first ever international competition!!

Fast forward to mid September and I receive a letter from the desk of Team GB & NI coordinator saying that I had been selected to join the team for the WORLD GAMES next year.... knock me down with a feather! I had my eyes set on the World's in 2025, not 2023!!

The fly in the ointment with this invitation is the cost! A conservative costing of everything involved with getting just me to Australia is around £6k - this covers flights, the registration fees and accommodation. On top of that there will be food and drink while over there, as well as the trianing, coaching and kit cost before I even get out the country!

There is no formal funding for transplant sport, and I have always maintained that if I can't afford to go to a British Games, I won't go... however the opportunity to represent my country, my transplant centre, my family and most importantly my DONOR is too great to just not even try!

I am asking for your help to cover the accreditation fees and flight costs initially as they are the 2 biggest areas of cost. Any extra money raised beyond my goal will go towards the accommodation & food while out there. Accommodation costs have risen beyond what I had originally budgeted - due to unforeseen circumstances we were left without our original booking and I had to try to locate somewhere different with less than 3 months to go before arrival!!

I am so incredibly thankful to everyone who has supported me this far and I really want to do you all proud and bring some form of bling home - If I don't medal in anything then it could just be an Australian spoon that comes home with me!!