OXENHOPE teenager Edward Hanson Ratcliffe will this week compete in the British Transplant Games.

Edward is returning to the games – this year in Newport, Wales – following his debut in the competition in 2017.

He will be competing in 10 pin bowling, 200m running and football, as all are taking part in the 5K Donor Run.

Organisers of the Games hope that people reading about Edward’s story will consider signing up to the donor register or sponsor the team.

Visit justgiving.com/fundraising/leedsadulttransplantsport for further information..

Proud mum Melanie said: “This will be a great experience, and he’s looking forward to joining the Leeds Adult Team being very much into sport and events.

“His love for football helped him to recover and gave him a focus in life to pull through, and he continues to play disability football for his team Bradford City Disability FC.”

Edward is on the autism spectrum and has learning difficulties, and in 2013 his bone marrow failed due to aplastic anaemia.

Melanie said: “We found him going from a very healthy boy to needing blood transfusions three times a week and platelets weekly at Leeds General Infirmary until a bone marrow match was found.

“We were told that without this transplant Edward would only survive into his mid-twenties.

Family members’ bone marrow did not match, and eventually the Anthony Nolan register found German man Marcus Burckhardt was a 100% match. Surgery followed.

Melanie said: “Edward doesn't fully understand what he's been through due to his learning difficulties and struggled dealing with the interventions, and even now he is very frightened when going for injections!

“The LGI team are fantastic and work so hard to improve these very sick children’s outcomes.”

The Transplant Games feature more than 1,000 competitors taking part in 23 events, and are billed as a “festival of sport and life”.