From kidney failure to world champion: Balveer Singh's inspiring post-transplant badminton journey

It’s incumbent upon us, who have means via which we can reach people, to tell the stories that are not often told. To highlight the journeys of men and women who are truly inspirational, but whose life stories haven’t made headlines, yet. Unfortunately, there are countless such stories in the Indian sports domain.

And one such tale is that of Balveer Singh.

Sports has always meant everything to Balveer. From the time he was very young, Balveer knew he would be dedicating his life to sports. All he wanted was to become an athlete and badminton was his chosen discipline. He lived and breathed badminton and showed exceptional promise. He was part of his university team and dreamed of someday playing on much bigger stages. There were multiple roadblocks and hurdles, but Balveer stayed patient, waiting and hoping.

From ICU to international glory

But then in 2011, he faced the biggest challenge of his life - he was diagnosed with kidney failure and just like that all his dreams were dashed. There was no chance of him playing at a higher level, any more. But there were more pressing issues at hand. He desperately needed a kidney donation and despite his mother offering one of her kidneys, the solution was not as straight-forward as that.

“When I think of that phase that I went through, right after my diagnosis – I sometimes shudder to think what my family and I went through. It was a very tough time for all of us. But in hindsight, I feel God is great – through this ordeal, I learnt about how one can find a second life, in a sense. At that time, when I was diagnosed, they were not managing to find a donor for me immediately. My mother wanted to donate one of her kidneys, but it wasn’t a match. I also didn’t have much money,” Balveer told me in an exclusive interaction from his hometown of Barabanki in Uttar Pradesh.

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What made matters worse for Balveer was the realisation that, in some ways perhaps, he himself was responsible for his physical condition – a truly heavy burden of guilt to carry.

“Since I was always an athlete, I really couldn’t fathom a scenario where I would be diagnosed with a faulty kidney. I was diagnosed with high blood pressure and then I made the mistake of skipping my medication for a while. And that was a terrible mistake. I didn’t have much knowledge about these things back then. I didn’t know that blood pressure and blood sugar are things one should monitor very, very closely. If I had not been careless about this, maybe my kidney wouldn’t have been damaged,” the 46-year-old further said.

Fortunately, for Balveer, he did manage to find a donor and the transplant surgery was successful. And looking back at that ordeal, all he can feel right now is gratitude. What is also mention-worthy is the fact that Balveer truly believes that stories like his must be highlighted, because in countries like India, transplant patients are often treated with sympathy and pity. The awareness that mostly normal life can resume if the surgery is a successful one, is definitely missing. Most people think if someone is either missing an organ or was diagnosed with a faulty one, they are not capable of doing what “normal” people can do. And that is a myth that athletes like Balveer are very keen to bust.

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“The entire phase right up to the transplant surgery was a very tough one. I can never forget that. But today, I consider myself to be successful and an inspiration for others. I want to tell people that though undergoing a transplant is a very big thing, if one finds a donor, then it’s quite routine these days. Thankfully in my case, I didn’t have to wait very long. My transplant procedure was completed in about six months after the diagnosis. I often think that if our stories – stories of people who have undergone transplant surgeries and then gone on to lead fully normal, active lives are highlighted more then, people who are willing to undergo transplant surgeries or donate organs, but are somewhat hesitant, will also be inspired. Most people don’t know that both the donor and the recipient, in most cases, will be completely alright. That awareness doesn’t exist in our country, as such,” Balveer further said.

Transplant surgery done and normal life resumed after some time for Balveer. But something was missing, of course. He was itching to not just play but actively compete. But apart from local matches, what really was available? That is when knowledge about the World Transplant Games changed his life. Balveer had always dreamt of becoming a champion and suddenly, despite the physical and mental trauma he had gone through, there actually was a chance to become a champion. It was a surreal time for this badminton player.

“The WTG did give me a second life of sorts. The chance to play again, to win again and that too for the country, was a surreal feeling. Earlier, it felt like there is only darkness. There was no certainty of what I would and wouldn’t be able to do. These Games brought to the fore my new life, in a way. This gave me the confidence to say to myself – ‘yes, I can do something’ and also at the same time try and inspire other people who have gone through the same thing and prove to them that there can be an active life, even after a transplant surgery,” a confident Balveer further told me.

But wait. What are the World Transplant Games?

The World Transplant Games (WTG) – as the name suggests – is an international multi-sport event, which is organised every two years by the World Transplant Games Federation (WTGF), which is recognised by the International Olympic Committee. Organ transplant recipients and living donors are both eligible to compete in these Games. For recipients, anyone who has received a solid organ transplant - liver, heart, lung, kidney, pancreas or bone marrow – is eligible to compete. The first edition of the Games was held in Portsmouth, England in 1978. About 100 athletes from UK, France, Germany and Greece took part in these Games. Needless to say, the Games have gone from strength to strength. The 2023 edition in Perth saw participation from over 60 countries and was held for a week. During the Games, there are also ceremonies to honour the families of deceased and living donors.

“Right after the transplant surgery the first thought in my head was that I have to get back to the playing field. I had always been involved with sports and had never spent so much time in bed. So, I was itching to get back to playing and in about three months’ time, after my surgery, I was back on the playing field….I feel if more people became physically active, a lot of physical problems and diseases can be avoided. Most people are just into their mobile phones and not involved in physical activity, as such. Most people don’t go to the playing field, don’t play a sport. In foreign countries, almost every kid can be found on the playing field. Sport and overall physical activity are very important things to pursue – for everyone, in some way or the other. The whole country can become fitter if people add a little bit of physical activity to their daily schedules. People will end up spending less on medicines also,” the 3-time WTG medallist said.

For Balveer, the WTG was the opportunity he knew he had to grab with both hands. After all, if he could participate in these Games, he would be representing India. He would become an international athlete – a dream he had all but given up on after his diagnosis.

“I have always been a badminton player, since my childhood days. In 2011 when I was diagnosed with a damaged kidney, I felt like I have no aim in life. I read about the World Transplant Games on the internet and a friend of mine gave me more information about these Games. A lot of people who go through this terrible phase, after being diagnosed with a faulty organ don’t have a base or grounding in sports. My base was already strong. There was some insecurity and doubts that I had – whether I would be able to play or not after my transplant, whether I would be able to compete with others. But when I participated in the WTG in Argentina and won my first medal there (gold medal in badminton in 2015), that gave me a lot of strength and confidence,” Balveer further shared.

When Balveer said this to me, I was reminded of another Indian transplant athlete I had talked to – Abhinav Pangtey. He too had echoed the exact same sentiment – of his background in sport helping him bounce back after the transplant surgery, faster than most other transplant patients. And that strength and confidence that Balveer found, he never let go of. He had found his purpose, in a sense, a space where he could truly come into his own.

Imagine going for a first World-level Games and winning the gold medal. In other words, becoming a World champion. Nothing inspires hard-working people to put in more effort than success. And Balveer had had a huge shot in the arm. He followed up the gold in Argentina with another gold medal at the 2017 WTG held in Spain in 2017 and then bagged a silver medal in the UK in the edition after that, in 2019.

The next edition of the WTG will be held in Dresden Germany from August 17 to 24 this year. This will be the first time Germany will be hosting the Games. And Balveer is preparing himself. The upcoming edition will be one Balveer knows he will have to give his all in. After returning from the last WTG edition in Perth in 2023, without a medal, he is determined to have a medal around his neck once again.

“At the last edition of the WTG in Perth I didn’t manage to win any medals. The player I beat to win my first WTG gold medal, in Argentina in 2015, I lost to him. I in fact won the first game, but then lost the second and third games, to lose the match. So, this time, I am determined to win a medal. I am happy with my preparation for the next edition of the Games in Germany, later this year. I am monitoring everything. There was a physical assessment camp that was held some time back and I was found to be about 15kgs overweight. I have since lost 8 and a half kilos. I am also at the same time coaching my son. I want him to get college admission in the sports quota. So, sport is everything in our lives,” the 46-year-old athlete told me in an exclusive interaction.

Helping him, at almost every step, on his post-transplant journey is the Organ Receiving & Giving Awareness Network (ORGAN) India, which was launched in 2013. This is an initiative of the Parashar Foundation, a not-for–profit organisation which is based in Delhi. Organ India is supported by the Vijaya Gujral Foundation, another not-for-profit organisation. The ORGAN India Project was initiated in 2013 after the then Chairperson of the Parashar Foundation was told by doctors that she needed a new heart, which she eventually received via a donor. The struggles of the family at the time made them realise just how difficult it can be to receive an organ donation and that there is an urgent need to raise awareness about the issue. ORGAN India was a result of that realisation and has worked in collaboration with and under the aegis of the National Organ & Tissue Transplant Organisation (NOTTO) since 2016.

“ORGAN India has had a very big role to play. In 2015, when I first went for the WTG, there were only two people who went for those Games. Ever since Organ India took charge, there has been a lot of growth. The more awareness that is created for the Games, the more people know about it, the more participation we will have. Sports is one such outlet which helps people stay fit and active, even after a transplant surgery. If the government also gets involved in this, we can send much bigger Indian teams to the WTG,” Balveer further told me.

Overall, the entire process of organ donation and receiving a new organ is an extremely cumbersome process in India. And also, of course, very expensive. Overall, according to experts, the cost of an organ transplant in India is less than what is charged in “Western countries”, but the cumulative costs are still quite steep for most people. One of the reasons for that could well be because most of the registered transplant centres in India are privately run. According to a report in ThePrint, 85% of the 946 such registered centres are private bodies. In other words, only 15% of such centres fall under government supervision and control.

“It is difficult to become a donor, but if there’s awareness then everything is possible. In most cases it’s a question of compulsion – a mother donates an organ to her son, a wife donates to her husband. Often there are organ donation swaps, where a member of one family donates to someone else in another family and a member of the second family, in exchange, donates, an organ to a member of the first family. The government should also put in place a system of incentives for donors. For instance, make rail-travel free for all organ donors, give them government jobs – some incentive that makes more and more people come forward to be donors.  In our country if there’s some rule that is made that the organs of anyone who dies an accidental death can and should be harvested, then no patient in India will have to be denied an organ,” Balveer pleaded.

Recently, news of the family of a brain-dead young man agreeing to donate his vital organs made headlines. 25-year-old Laxmishankar Jaiswal was declared brain-dead after he was hit by a truck in Kolkata. His family agreed to donate his organs and that saved the lives of four people who were diagnosed with failed organs and also restored vision for two others. Laxmishankar’s lungs, liver, one kidney and cornea were all donated by his family.

“For raising awareness in our country, I feel that if the virtues of organ donation are taught as a subject in our schools, that will really help, because then people will learn this from an early age. What is a transplant, how one can become an organ donor, what does one have to be careful about once one undergoes a transplant surgery, as a living donor. If this happens, a lot can change.”

For now, Balveer’s entire focus is on the upcoming edition of the WTG, in Germany. But, like so many other athletes in the country, the one really big hurdle is funding. Athletes going to the WTG have to, more often than not, pay out of their own pockets, for everything. It wasn’t surprising therefore to hear this appeal from Balveer.

“Funding of course is a major issue. I have crowd-funded for my travel and other expenses to go to the WTG in the past. ORGAN India has supported us a lot. Now from here, if the government gets involved, if corporates get involved – through their CSR arms a lot more can be achieved. I am hoping that in the next 5 years we see this happen. I hope we get registered and get official help from the government, which takes transplant sports and athletes forward.”

Imagine the passion that propels these athletes forward. Balveer has a government job and his earnings are modest. But that will not stop him from making sure that he is in Germany this August to represent his country.

Despite having to leave his former job – that of a sports teacher – and go through a myriad of problems, Balveer has made sure that sport remains integral to his and his family’s lives.

“I live in a small district called Barabanki, near Lucknow. I have a government job and work in the rural development department. Life is ok, but I am not fully happy with my job, because, before my transplant, I used to have a sports job. I was a sports teacher and have also been a badminton coach. I had to take on a lot of responsibilities of the family after my father passed away. I had to leave my private job and take up a government job. I have a younger brother, who lives in Delhi. I had to look after him also. I miss working in sports. But I take out a couple of hours every morning and evening and play badminton and also coach my children, because sports is my passion,” a passionate Balveer told me in an exclusive interview over video-conferencing.

Badminton is everything for Balveer. It always has been. I could hear and feel the passion he has for the sport in his voice, as I spoke to him about his life pre and post the transplant. The lengths he goes to, to ensure that that passion keeps burning bright within him are truly mind-boggling and extremely inspirational.

“My favourite badminton player currently is Lakshya Sen. I follow him. And also, I am constantly following badminton – matches, updates, new developments etc – on my phone and on TV. Even if I don’t play one day, I feel like something is missing. Whenever I come to know about any tournament, I go there to play or just to watch. Badminton is what I follow the most, I do watch some cricket, once in a while, but badminton is my biggest sporting love. I also watch old videos of players like Pullela Gopichand. There is a lot of difference between the badminton of then and now.”

Life threw him one of the ugliest curve-balls possible, but he, like so many others -in India and in other countries – went through the pain with his chin up – and came out victorious, in more ways than one, on the other end. We must not forget that before his diagnosis, Balveer was a badminton player hoping to represent India. After his transplant, he became a World champion. And that is one incredible story.

After going through everything he has endured and survived, Balveer’s message for those waiting for an organ donation right now is simple and yet profound.

“Mental strength is the main thing – that is what makes or breaks a person. If we are mentally strong, anything is possible. During tough phases, try and keep your mind calm and remain hopeful. Look at stories like ours – stories that should give you strength and resolve that great things can be accomplished, despite being in a position where you are waiting for an organ donor. Once a successful transplant surgery happens, you can keep aiming high. And stay as fit as possible. If you are physically fit, you can do anything you want.”

Fortune favours the brave…And the hopeful.