A HEART transplant recipient from Liden brought home a gold medal after taking part in the Westfield Health British Transplant Games in North Lanarkshire last week.

Perry Jarvis competed in a series of friendly sporting challenges in the games, which bring together people who have had organ transplants and raise awareness of the importance of organ donation.

The 54-year-old had a heart transplant operation in October 2015 and did archery, track and field, cycling, volleyball and a 5km walk during the four day event from Thursday July 27 to Sunday July 30.

He said: “I thought I was in for a shot at bronze and was very surprised to get gold in the archery.

“It was a very emotional and really good fun, meeting other people in similar positions to me was quite an experience.

“It was very informative for both me and my wife, she was my rock while I was going through the operation.

“We kept in touch with the people we met and provisionally booked a place for next year’s games.”

Perry also made a surprising discovery while jogging the 4x100m relay.

He added: “I finished the relay and realised that I wasn’t out of breath.

“I think that the nerve connecting my brain to my heart that had been cut during the transplant has grown back.

“Normally it can regrow in the first 18 months, and I am still within that timeframe, or it never grows back at all.

“I was surprised and elated because I used to really enjoy going running before the operation.

“Hopefully on the weekend I’ll go jogging to prove my theory.”

Perry fondly remembers a highlight of the event.

He said: “We had an opening ceremony where we all met up in a hall and were sorted into teams, then the Donor Family Network walked through the hall and received a standing ovation.”

Perry spent six months in total in two different hospitals waiting for a suitable heart and recovering from the operation.

He then returned to work a year later.

For more information about the transplant games, visit www.britishtransplantgames.co.uk

To register on the NHS Organ Donor Register, please telephone 0300 123 23 23, or go to www.organdonation.nhs.uk to register online.