First Heart Transplant Recipient to finish an Ironman!
Ironmanlife: The heart of Dwight Kroening
Kevin Mackinnon reports on a heart transplant Ironman competitor from Canada
Published Friday, August 22, 2008
When the doctors told Dwight Kroening that he was going to die 22 years ago, you can be sure they weren't expecting to see this. In two days the man they had all but given up on is likely to become the first heart transplant recipient to ever finish an Ironman. After the doctors told him he had just months to live, they found him another chance in the form of a heart that has somehow managed to keep pace with the courageous 49-year-old from Sherwood Park, Alberta, Canada. Now doctors are marveling at the fact that this guy is doing things that no other heart transplant recipient has ever done before. Kroening is already a walking research experiment and an inspiration to others – on Sunday, in front of his three sons and wife Colleen, he’s going to take that to an entire new level as he takes on Subaru Ironman Canada. Kroening, 49, has been training 10 to 16 hours a week for Sunday’s race. Along the way he’s completed two sprints, three Olympic distance races, and two 70.3 distance events. So why is he doing this? “My wife calls it the stupid factor,” Kroening laughs, “but really there are a few reasons.” Kroening is determined to use his new-found fame to help promote organ donations. He’s also been involved in a lot of research into finding out exactly how a transplanted heart will perform at the levels required to complete an Ironman. Kroening also has a selfish reason to try and complete the race on Sunday. “I want to see what I can do,” he says. “Can I do everything physically that I could do before the transplant. There’s also the added incentive to be the first to do this.”Kroening has been amazed at the response he’s had to his blog – many heart transplant recipients are now telling him that he’s inspired them to try and compete in a triathlon.“My heart performs just as a normal heart does,” he says the research has shown. I disagree with his assessment. I’d say Dwight Kroening’s heart is more courageous than any other “normal” heart in the race. Good luck this weekend, Dwight!
The first heart transplant recipient to finish an Ironman …How about Dwight Kroening? This is a guy who was told by doctors 22 years ago that he had just months to live. Then they found him a heart, which couldn’t have been easy – how do you find a heart for a guy like Dwight Kroening? Today he showed more heart than most of us could ever imagine. It’s not even just a heart that had to be reattached that is the issue for Kroening. His heart has become a medical miracle (“It performs just as a normal heart would,” Kroening says), but it wasn’t the only challenge the 47-year-old faced when he decided to become an Ironman. After 22 years of anti-rejection medication that, well, isn’t exactly conducive to Ironman training, he overcame what the rest of us would call pretty steep odds to became the first man with a transplanted heart to complete an Ironman race. “There goes my hero” played over the speakers as he finished the race a few minutes ago. “Are you going to do another one,” Mike Reilly asked him. “I’m going to have to think about that,” came the reply.Why do I have a feeling we might see him finish another one of these some day?
Ironmanlife: The heart of Dwight Kroening
Kevin Mackinnon reports on a heart transplant Ironman competitor from Canada
Published Friday, August 22, 2008
When the doctors told Dwight Kroening that he was going to die 22 years ago, you can be sure they weren't expecting to see this. In two days the man they had all but given up on is likely to become the first heart transplant recipient to ever finish an Ironman. After the doctors told him he had just months to live, they found him another chance in the form of a heart that has somehow managed to keep pace with the courageous 49-year-old from Sherwood Park, Alberta, Canada. Now doctors are marveling at the fact that this guy is doing things that no other heart transplant recipient has ever done before. Kroening is already a walking research experiment and an inspiration to others – on Sunday, in front of his three sons and wife Colleen, he’s going to take that to an entire new level as he takes on Subaru Ironman Canada. Kroening, 49, has been training 10 to 16 hours a week for Sunday’s race. Along the way he’s completed two sprints, three Olympic distance races, and two 70.3 distance events. So why is he doing this? “My wife calls it the stupid factor,” Kroening laughs, “but really there are a few reasons.” Kroening is determined to use his new-found fame to help promote organ donations. He’s also been involved in a lot of research into finding out exactly how a transplanted heart will perform at the levels required to complete an Ironman. Kroening also has a selfish reason to try and complete the race on Sunday. “I want to see what I can do,” he says. “Can I do everything physically that I could do before the transplant. There’s also the added incentive to be the first to do this.”Kroening has been amazed at the response he’s had to his blog – many heart transplant recipients are now telling him that he’s inspired them to try and compete in a triathlon.“My heart performs just as a normal heart does,” he says the research has shown. I disagree with his assessment. I’d say Dwight Kroening’s heart is more courageous than any other “normal” heart in the race. Good luck this weekend, Dwight!
The first heart transplant recipient to finish an Ironman …How about Dwight Kroening? This is a guy who was told by doctors 22 years ago that he had just months to live. Then they found him a heart, which couldn’t have been easy – how do you find a heart for a guy like Dwight Kroening? Today he showed more heart than most of us could ever imagine. It’s not even just a heart that had to be reattached that is the issue for Kroening. His heart has become a medical miracle (“It performs just as a normal heart would,” Kroening says), but it wasn’t the only challenge the 47-year-old faced when he decided to become an Ironman. After 22 years of anti-rejection medication that, well, isn’t exactly conducive to Ironman training, he overcame what the rest of us would call pretty steep odds to became the first man with a transplanted heart to complete an Ironman race. “There goes my hero” played over the speakers as he finished the race a few minutes ago. “Are you going to do another one,” Mike Reilly asked him. “I’m going to have to think about that,” came the reply.Why do I have a feeling we might see him finish another one of these some day?
posted by Em at 11:27 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home