Fresh from winning tennis gold and table tennis bronze at the British Transplant Games in Sheffield, Stirling alumna Lyn Kearney (BA French, 1972) reflects on the matches that changed her life: at Stirling, on the tennis court, and through the anonymous kidney donor whose gift made it all possible.

A golden return from Sheffield

Stirling alumna and retired languages teacher Lyn Kearney has returned from the British Transplant Games in Sheffield with another impressive medal haul: gold in tennis and bronze in table tennis. She also embraced a fresh challenge by trying bowls for the first time.

The Sheffield results are the latest chapter in a sporting journey that has taken Lyn from club courts in Montrose to the world stage. Last year, she received one of her greatest honours when she was selected to represent Great Britain at the World Transplant Games in Dresden. She came home with two silver medals, one in tennis and one in table tennis.

However, for her, every medal is more than a sporting achievement. Competing at this level is the greatest thank you she can give her anonymous donor, and a powerful way to show what the gift of organ donation has allowed her to do.

Lyn made her British Transplant Games debut with Team Edinburgh in Coventry in 2023, where she had the honour of carrying the team flag and won gold in tennis in her age group. She followed that with another tennis gold in Nottingham in 2024. Her success in Sheffield continues a remarkable run, but the medals are only part of the story.

Finding her match at Stirling

Tennis has been a thread through Lyn’s life since she first picked up a racquet at the age of 10. It was also at the heart of her Stirling story.

Lyn arrived at the University in 1968 as part of Stirling’s second intake of undergraduates, studying French and German. A small tennis club was already up and running, and in her second year she took over as secretary. Through the club, she met history student Jack Kearney, who would become her husband.

Over the years, Lyn and her family have returned to the Stirling campus time and again for family holidays. During visits with her late husband Jack and their three sons, they made full use of the University’s sporting facilities and created lasting memories in the place where their story began.

Stirling had given Lyn a lifelong love, a family and a sporting community. Years later, another kind of match would transform her future.

The match that changed everything

In 1999, Lyn was diagnosed with a genetic chronic kidney disease. It marked the beginning of a long journey towards kidney failure, dialysis and, she hoped, a transplant.

She had heard about the Transplant Games, and the ambition to compete one day gave her something to aim for. “I always said that, if I got a transplant, I would like to take part in the Games,” she said. She kept fit, continued playing sport and worked to give herself the best possible chance of a successful transplant.

That chance came in December 2017, when Lyn received a kidney from an anonymous donor. The lifesaving transplant allowed her to return to a full and active life and pick up her tennis racquet once again.

Her debut at the Games did not come straight away. Transplant recipients cannot compete during their first year after surgery, and the pandemic caused further delay. Family circumstances also took priority when Jack was diagnosed with dementia and Lyn became his full-time carer. Following his passing, she was determined to honour the promise she had made to herself.

Playing with purpose

The atmosphere at the Transplant Games left a lasting impression on Lyn. Competitors of different ages and backgrounds came together through a shared understanding of how profoundly organ donation can alter the course of a life.

Today, she uses her own story to raise awareness and encourage others to make and share their decision about donation.

“Getting the gold medal is nice, but the most important thing is to promote organ donation and show how it can change the lives of so many people,” she said.

Lyn’s own life is proof of that transformation. Her transplant gave her the chance to return to the people and pursuits she loves, and to compete at the highest level.

Since March 2021, Scotland has operated an ‘opt out’ organ donation system. However, laws and registration systems differ around the world. Lyn encourages everyone to check the arrangements in their own country or healthcare system, record their decision where appropriate and, above all, talk to their family about their wishes.

From meeting Jack across a tennis net at Stirling to receiving the donor kidney that made her sporting comeback possible, Lyn’s story has been shaped by extraordinary matches. Every time she takes to the court, she celebrates them all.

Feeling inspired?

Inspired by Lyn’s story? We’d love to hear about your journey since graduating and the difference you are making along the way. Share your journey with us at alumni@stir.ac.uk.