By Eleanor Wilson
Endeavour Hills’ Dinesh Perera knows the value of a second chance in life.
Diagnosed with multiple myeloma – a type of blood cancer- in his late 20s, Mr Perera spent months in hospital undergoing chemotherapy treatment, drug trials and a failed bone marrow transplant.
Ultimately, it was a second transplant from his older brother Chaminda, in 2006, that saved his life.
Now seven or eight years clear of the disease, the 45 year-old is using his good health to the fullest, competing in the upcoming World Transplant Games – and he has high hopes to bring home gold.
The World Transplant Games are staged every two years for people who have undergone either solid organ or bone marrow transplants, while donor family members and living donors can also participate in selected events.
Mr Perera will compete in the 5km road race, badminton singles, badminton doubles, squash and triathlon at the 2023 Games in Perth this April.
It will be his third kick of the can at the games, also competing in the 2007 World Transplant Games in Bangkok, where he earned a silver medal for shooting, and the 2009 Games on the Gold Coast.
After the 2009 event, Mr Perera took a break from the games for personal reasons, but hopes his return to competition will be a fruitful feat.
“I’m very confident about badminton and squash this year, especially doubles,” he said.
“I’ve got a very good partner for doubles, he’s born in Hong Kong and he’s a badminton coach based in Sydney, so that’s the big one for me, and squash as well.”
Training for the games requires a heavy training schedule for Mr Perera, who juggles sport with a busy career as a criminologist and his roles as a husband and father to a five year-old girl.
He completes running training in the morning before work, and badminton and squash each evening, all of which he said would be impossible without the support of his family and friends.
“My wife is very supportive, most mornings she’s the one that kicks me out of bed and tells me to go for a run, so she’s a big support system,” he said.
“He’s very ambitious, very driven and wants to achieve things…if he could compete in more events he would,” Mrs Perera laughed.
“I think sporting is in his genes as well, he was always very sporty…I think its what makes him sane,” Mrs Perera said of her husband, who she has known since they were children growing up in Sri Lanka.
A costly exercise, Mr Perera said attending the games would not be possible without the support of his major sponsor and local business J8 Cleaning Services, along with the City of Casey, from whom he received a community achievement grant.
He said he hopes his participation in the games brings awareness to the importance of organ donation and the visibility of donor recipients.
“For people like us to get a second chance at life, there’s a lot of generous people around the world who can play that part and it’s not gonna cost anything for your health,” he said.
“I think its important to treat us like normal people and to be non-judgemental and supportive of the people around you, because you never know what someone might be going through.
He said he expects the forthcoming games to be “very competitive”.
“There’s some pretty good players coming…I think it’s more competitive because we have gone through so much, we’ve struggled and fought hard to fight our illnesses, so you have more morale and resilience.”
The 2023 World Transplants Games will be held in Perth from 15 to 21 April.
In Australia, there are around 1700 people currently on the waitlist for a life-saving transplant.
An additional 12,000 people are on dialysis and may benefit from a kidney transplant.
