A RUN IN SUPPORT OF PATIENTS AWAITING TRANSPLANTATION TO TAKE PLACE IN ASTANA
On August 10, thousands of Kazakhstanis will gather in Astana to support patients awaiting kidney, liver, heart, and lung transplants. According to official data, more than 4,000 people, including children, are currently on the waiting list.
Despite medical progress, the issue of transplantation remains highly relevant in Kazakhstan. According to the Republican Coordination and Transplantation Center, 4,117 people are currently on the waiting list, including 96 children. Over 3,700 patients need kidney transplants, 342 are waiting for liver and heart transplants, and about 30 are in need of lung transplants.
To draw attention to this important issue and support patients in their fight for life, Astana has hosted the Jüregımnıñ Jenımpazy run-festival since 2018. The first cycling event attracted 60 participants, while this year, 5,000 people are expected to take part — doctors, donor families, transplant recipients and those still awaiting transplantation, business representatives, government officials, capital residents, and active participants from previous runs. Training sessions for the 1 km, 3 km, and 10 km distances have already started at the Botanical Garden and will continue in open format until race day — August 10.
Among the first participants to begin training and register for the run are transplant recipients Anar Shaimergenova, who received a new kidney, and Andrey Shelestyuk, who successfully underwent a liver transplant less than two years ago. Today, the 44-year-old man runs long distances of 24 km and is preparing for a 51 km trail race.
“I had never done sports before. After surgery and rehabilitation, doctors advised me to walk a lot. That’s how I started, and gradually I began to run. Now I train on the ‘Die hard’ principle — pushing my limits and focusing on long distances. Every Sunday I run 20 kilometers without missing a single training session. I take part in many races, but Jüregımnıñ Jenımpazy is the most important for me. Here, you don’t run for records — you run to remind yourself that you are alive and that you’ve won this fight. The run gives moral support to those currently waiting for a transplant. Not everyone understands how hard it is to live in constant uncertainty. I believe more and more people will join each year. Last year I ran the maximum distance of 10 km — this year, I plan to do it again,” said Andrey Shelestyuk.
Kidney recipient and Heart Center Foundation ambassador Anar Shaimergenova is also an active participant in the run. Last year, she completed the 1 km distance.
“Every step of this distance reminds me of what I’ve been through. I know what it’s like to depend on medical procedures and live in waiting. But I also know how important support is. This run is about those who believe, who fight, and who stay close. If my step can give someone hope, then my run is not in vain,” she emphasized.
According to Murad Zauyrov, Director of the Heart Center Foundation, which has organized Jüregımnıñ Jenımpazy for eight consecutive years,
“This is not just a race. It’s a major annual event that goes beyond sports. Its mission is to support patients and raise public awareness about organ transplantation. Everyone who steps onto the starting line becomes part of a communication effort we’ve been building for years. The growing scale of the event each year proves its effectiveness. The project has become a powerful tool for dialogue on the need to develop transplantation in our country.”
Jüregımnıñ Jenımpazy is one of the key projects of the Heart Center Foundation, whose main mission is to advance cardiac surgery, cardiology, and transplantation in Kazakhstan through educational and outreach initiatives, professional development for doctors, and support for scientific projects. One of the foundation’s major breakthroughs in transplantation has been the development of the unique ALEM system, presented to the Head of State and showcased at the World Expo 2025 in Osaka, Japan.
Information:
The Jüregımnıñ Jenımpazy run (“You are the champion of my heart!”) will take place on August 10 in Astana, on the EXPO grounds. The start time is 7:00 a.m. Participants can register and choose their distance at hcf.kz/ru/events/juregimnin-jenimpazy.
Training sessions are held weekly at the Botanical Garden in Astana (near the “Dar” monument) — every Friday at 6:30 a.m. and Saturday at 8:30 a.m.
The general sponsor of Jüregımnıñ Jenımpazy this year is Home Credit Bank Kazakhstan.
For more information:
???? +7 702 139 09 08
Aлина Альбекова, PR, Heart Center Foundation
