In their landmark debut at the World Transplant Games 2025, Team UAE earned their first-ever medal – bronze in the Pétanque Pairs event – marking a proud milestone for the nation’s transplant community.
Katie Larkins and Husena Beguwala clinched the bronze, demonstrating not only their skill on the field but also the incredible resilience and heart behind their journeys.
Katie Larkins, team captain of the UAE team for World Transplant Games, is an American teacher based in Abu Dhab, Katie was diagnosed in 2021 with a severe autoimmune liver disease and required an urgent transplant. Her life was saved through the first organ exchange between the UAE and Kuwait, made possible by an anonymous donor and a fast-acting medical team.
Katie returned to the classroom and has spent the last 14 months working tirelessly to bring a UAE team to the Games.
Katie said:
“I feel really emotional about this – I’ve spent the last 14 months helping bring the UAE team to the World Transplant Federation, so to be part of the pair that earned the first UAE medal is truly special. I’m beyond thankful to be here and to share this moment with such an inspiring group.”
She hopes to use this platform to promote organ donation, celebrate the UAE’s transplant advancements, and launch a school-based campaign highlighting healthy living and transplant awareness.
Teaming up with Katie in the Pétanque Pairs event was Husena Beguwala, a double lung transplant recipient and accomplished film producer. Misdiagnosed with asthma for 12 years, Husena was later found to have Idiopathic Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension (PAH) – a rare and life-threatening condition. After years of challenges and no local transplant option, she finally received a life-saving transplant in the UAE.
Today, Husena is back on her feet, training, competing, and advocating for PH awareness, mental health support, and the life-changing power of organ donation.
Husena said:
“I chose pétanque because when I got diagnosed with Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension, one of the biggest things that irked me was that I wasn’t able to be with my son and be an active mother. Post-transplant, my first international trip was to Denmark, and when I saw other families out in the park enjoying themselves and playing pétanque as a family, it struck me as something I aspired to do with my family – to live care-free like they were. Today’s bronze medal is overwhelming because we’re here not just for raising awareness, but for the people waiting for their transplants.”
Representing the UAE for the first time on this global stage, the athletes are competing under the banner of Hayat, the National Programme for Organ and Tissue Donation and Transplantation. Their participation follows the UAE’s 2024 membership in the World Transplant Games Federation (WTGF) – a global platform that celebrates life after transplant through sport, solidarity, and awareness.
Team UAE Athletes:
- Katie Larkins – Liver transplant recipient, Team Captain & Manager
- Hind Juma – Living kidney donor
- Omar “OT” Tom – Kidney transplant recipient
- Fatima Rashid – Kidney transplant recipient
- Justin Anthony – Double lung transplant recipient
- Husena Beguwala – Double lung transplant recipient
Events up next:
Friday, August 22
3km Race Walk – Katie, Hind, Husena
100m Sprints – Omar, Fatima
Javelin – Fatima, Justin
Saturday, August 23
200m Sprints – Omar, Fatima
Discus – Justin
Ball Throw – Justin
Follow Team UAE’s journey live and show your support on social media: @UAEtransplantathletes
