Dear Friend,

Most kids love sports and challenges. And so does Esben.

Esben has come a long way since his transplant. Until about a year and a half ago, Esben wasn't  able to do all those active things other kids his age do and as much as he tried he could not even jump off a curb.

Esben has a chronic liver condition that kept him from being active. Then just in time for his 5th Birthday he received his two life saving liver transplants. This did not only give him a new chance of life but also the ability to enjoy sports and activities. He now plays football, goes horse riding and jumps without hesitation from 4 feet height. Last summer he joined the team Leeds Little Livers at the British Transplant games where he competed in 25 m dash, obstacle race and ball throw. He won 3 medals and a trophy for being the most successful newly transplanted child.

One of the competitions at the Games is the so called Donor Run to celebrate organ donors and honor the fantastic donor families, who have selflessly donated their loved ones organs to save other peoples lives. This 3/5km Fun Run is open to all, transplantees, their families or donor families.  While watching his Dad and other friends race last year, Esben decided that he wanted to run the Donor Run this year. He still does. So Esben will be running 3km with Maike and Lennart (riding along in the buggy), while Sebastian will be running 5km again.

Who will be faster? It will be close. Find out after the transplant games, which are held 19-23 August 2010 in Bath.

The funds that Esben is raising by participating in this Run are going to Leeds Little Livers, a charitable fund within the Leeds Teaching Hospitals Charitable Foundation. Leeds Little Livers is Esben's Team at the transplant games. All transplanted children who are under the care of the Pediatric Liver Unit in Leeds are invited to join the team to compete at the British Transplant Games, which are held every year. They are also asked to fundraise for the event to make it possible for all to join the team and keep costs low. This year is especially hard for the team as one of the main sponsors of the past is no longer able support them.

Please consider to make a donation to Esben's cause. It will be well appreciated by all children and their families participating in the transplant games. Thanks for taking the time to visit our JustGiving page.

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving – they’ll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they’ll send your money directly to the charity and make sure Gift Aid is reclaimed on every eligible donation by a UK taxpayer. So it’s the most efficient way to donate - I raise more, whilst saving time and cutting costs for the charity.