The participants, divided/formed into 91 four-person relay teams, covered designated sections of the course using the Nordic walking technique. The team with the fastest time made it to the podium, though in the heat of the competition, no one forgot what matters most in the Run for a New Life: promoting organ donation and transplantation, which can give another person a chance at a new life.
Who from the Medical University of Warsaw attended the event?
- Prof. Rafał Krenke, rector WUM
- Prof. Michał Grąt i lek. Łukasz Nazarewski from the Chair and Department of General, Transplantation and Liver Surgery
- Prof. Krzysztof Mucha, dr hab. Jolanta Gozdowska, dr Marta Serwańska-Świętek from the Chair and Department of Transplantology, Immunology, Nephrology and Internal Medicine
- dr hab. Radosław Pietrzak from the Department of Pediatric Cardiology and General Pediatrics
- lek. Dorota Miszewska-Szyszkowska from the Transplantation Medicine and Nephrology Clinic at the Infant Jesus Clinical Hospital in Warsaw UCC MUW
- prof. Tomasz Jakimowicz i prof. Sławomir Nazarewski from the Chair and Department of General, Vascular, Endocrinological and Transplantation Surgery
- prof. Małgorzata Sobieszczańska-Małek, dr Katarzyna Kodziszewska, dr Agata Dżeljilji, mgr Agnieszka Patrzyczna, prof. Bartosz Kubisa and dr Michał Buczyński from the Department of Cardiac Surgery, Thoracic Surgery, and Transplantation
- prof. Maciej Kosieradzki and prof. Roman Danielewicz from the Chair and Department of General and Transplantation Surgery
- prof. Jarosław Czerwiński from the Department of Emergency Medicine
mgr Anna Lis, dr Edyta Karpeta (who finished the race with a time of 4 minutes and 33 seconds), mgr Diana Dudek, mgr Krzysztof Zając, dr Łukasz Górski, transplant coordinators at the University Clinical Center WUM - dr hab. Dominik Olejniczak from the Department of Public Health
- Jarosław Kulczycki, spokesperson
Minister of Health Jolanta Sobierańska-Grenda served as honorary patron of the Run for a New Life. During the race/run, she was represented by Deputy Minister of Health Dr. Tomasz Maciejewski.
“This event promotes the idea of conscious organ donation - the most precious thing we can give of ourselves to save the health and life of another person,” said the minister.
Donation as the foundation of transplantology
The University Clinical Center of the Medical University of Warsaw (WUM) is one of the leading transplant centers in Poland. It performs both standard and highly advanced transplant procedures, and in terms of the methods it uses and its technological infrastructure, it ranks among the best national transplant centers.
But transplant medicine is not just about modern methods and technology. It is also an expression of social solidarity, the most beautiful manifestation of which is the willingness to give others a chance at life. Thanks to donors and their families, seriously ill people can regain their health and hope for the future.
“There is no doubt that we are seeing steady progress in medicine. However, the issue of organ donation remains an area that requires constant advocacy, encouragement, and public awareness-raising - so that patients do not die because they lack the chance for a transplant,” emphasized Prof. Rafał Krenke, rector of the Medical University of Warsaw (WUM), at the event.
He added that initiatives such as the Run for a New Life show that transplantation can mean a new beginning and play a huge role in promoting organ donation.
“Transplantation depends on public acceptance. Every event promoting transplantation is an opportunity for those with no other hope of survival than an organ transplant,” said Prof. Michał Grąt, head of the Department and Clinic of General, Transplant, and Liver Surgery at the Medical University of Warsaw Central Clinical Hospital and vice rector of our university. “The most beautiful moment and greatest success in a transplant surgeon’s life is when a patient leaves the hospital and goes home with a smile. That is precisely the moment we strive for.”
A conscious decision that saves lives
According to data from Poltransplant and the Ministry of Health, the number of transplants performed in Poland is rising, but the demand for organs still exceeds their availability. Every year, thousands of people in Poland are waiting for a transplant, and for many of them, it is their only chance for survival. That is why our specialists are appealing for informed organ donation.
“Each of us is five times more likely to need a transplant than to ever become an organ donor. The people we meet here today are alive because someone else gave them a chance by donating their organ for transplantation. So there’s no reason to hesitate! Let’s all say yes and stand together for it,” said Prof. Maciej Kosieradzki, head of the Department and Clinic of General and Transplant Surgery at the Medical University of Warsaw’s Central Clinical Hospital.
Special thanks
During the event, the organizers of the Run for a New Life presented special thanks to individuals who have supported this initiative for years. Among those honored were Prof. Maciej Kosieradzki and Prof. Michał Grąt.
The 31st edition of the Run for a New Life took place on September 5 at the Museum of King Jan III’s Palace in Wilanów.
