Cardiff cyclist wins gold at World Transplant Games

Professor Nicholas Topley, a retired academic from The School of Medicine, Cardiff University took part in the 20km Team Time Trial with teammates Richie Sheerin and Sean Rintoul, and won Gold, making them World Champions. Professor Topley also went on to win two Bronze medals in the Individual Time Trial and 30km Road Race, all of which were cycling events held at the Waneroo racing circuit in North Perth.

From Barry, Professor Nicholas Topley took up serious cycling in 2016 as a means of recovery after having a transplant in 2012, where his sister, Freya, donated her bone marrow.

On his time in Perth, Professor Topley said, “Racing at the games is an incredible feeling; winning is important, but it’s the participation of those given the gift of life that is most important. To sit with 2000 other transplant recipients at the opening ceremony was truly humbling, and the camaraderie between athletes and teams was incredible - everybody cheered on athletes wherever they came from and whatever their transplant back story. It was incredible.

“I hope that when seeing the achievements of transplant athletes, that others recovering after transplantation will consider sport and activity as an important part of their mental and physical rehabilitation.”

Dr Keith Wilson, Director of the South Wales Blood and Marrow Transplant (SWBMT) Programme, Cardiff and Vale UHB said, “St David’s Day 2023 marked the 40th anniversary of the first stem cell transplant in Wales. In recognition of this milestone, over 300 patients and relatives attended a celebration at the Vale Hotel and Spa on Saturday 24 June 2023. Three pioneers, Dr Jack Whittaker, Dr Saad Al-Ismail and Dr Roy Bailey-Wood were honoured with tokens in acknowledgement of their ground-breaking work. Staff past and present, managers as well as Dr Sian Lewis, Managing Director of WHSSC, the Commissioner for transplant services, helped to make this a memorable event. Poignancy was added when an unrelated donor from Germany made the trip, having met his recipient for the first time. There was not a dry eye in the house as they each told their stories from their perspective.

“Much progress has been made since that first transplant, including the use of peripheral blood rather than the bone marrow as the source of stem cells; adoption of reduced intensity conditioning which has made transplantation eligible to patients in their mid-70s and beyond (when the previous upper limit was 45-50 years); better methods of tissue (HLA) typing so that results from unrelated donor transplants now match that of sibling transplants; and better supportive care which means that a greater percentage of patients now survive transplantation – as was evident at our gala event!

“What has become clearer is that there are some complications that only become evident years after transplantation, and we now put greater emphasis on monitoring for, preventing and treating these late effects. The goal is not only to save life but to preserve quality of life.

“It is in this context of returning patients to a normal quality of life that I am delighted to congratulate Professor Nick Topley and his cycling team for their success in the 2023 World Transplant Games held in Perth, where Nick came away with a Gold and two Bronze medals – no

mean feat considering the stiffness of the competition. This was a fitting tribute to the part-sponsorship granted by Cardiff & Vale Health Charity in getting Nick and his team to Australia.

“Thank you, Nick, for keeping the Welsh flag flying high and for demonstrating that there is life after transplantation. Looking forward to more great things in 2024!”

Congratulations to Professor Nicholas Topley, and his teammates, on their amazing wins at the World Transplant Games.