Aris Jan van Ek -- The Netherlands

Age: 35

Transplant: Kidney, 1988

Hometown:  IJsselstein (Utrecht), The Netherlands

Events: Swimming:  50M breaststroke, 50M, 100M, 200M and 400M freestyle

Aris Jan's Story:  I received a kidney transplant January 20, 1988. I married my wife, Koos (36), two years later.  I have three lovely children:  Wouter, 5; and twin girls, Marlin and Rineke, two years old. I am a librarian at the Utrecht Academic Hospital for about 10 years now.

Getting sick at six years of age isn't that simple. In the first years it was only a few weeks a year. In a period of 20 years, life became more difficult as my kidneys worked about 10% due to nephrotic syndrome and later focal glomerulosclerosis. When it finally got to be time to go on hemodialysis things changed. I was lucky; I was only on the waiting list for three months when "the call" came. The other call came two days later; my mother was diagnosed with Leukemia. She died February 26,1988. My father asked if she could be an organ donor, but because of the chemotherapy, they couldn't use her organs. Still, it's the courage to ask the question that counts, I think.

 I am going to The Games to make people understand that it is very necessary to sign a donor card, not only in The Netherlands, but everywhere in the world. And, of course, to enjoy my sport, and to meet "transplant" people from all over the world.

My Message to the World:  Make the most of your life. I still remember this man when I was on dialysis the evening before my transplant. He had a rejection after 15 years. He said, "I built my life in those years: got married, had children, I lived."  Thanks to someone out there who carried an organ donor card, someone young, someone with a family, I can live life the way it should be. Thank you for the gift of life, my heaven on earth.

Fran Kelsen, TransWeb webmaster, interviews Aris at the games.