By Karla Greene
Timex watch, that’s what a friend calls me. “You take a lickin’ and keep on tickin’.” I was born with the genetic disease Polycystic Kidney Disease (PKD). For many years I had no problems with my kidneys and enjoyed sports, exercising and outdoor activities. As my kidneys began to fail I was able to do less and less, to the point that I was barely getting through each day. On October 1, 2007 I received a lifesaving gift from my husband, Jeff, one of his kidneys! I felt better almost immediately but had become so weak and deconditioned that I could not walk up a flight of stairs. So began the long journey back. As my strength and endurance improved I wished to return to the activities I enjoyed prior to kidney failure; especially biking. I bought a bike and started riding. The first ride was a very slow and exhausting 10 miles. It felt like 100! Through the transplant process I learned of the Transplant Games then hosted by the National Kidney Foundation and I had a goal to compete in the next Transplant Games. I was blown away by the stories of these athletes. People with double lung transplants or heart transplants competing in a variety of sports and doing it well. With the support of family and friends, I started training. I was able to compete in the 2010 Transplant Games and placed 2nd and 4th in the biking events and 13th in the 5K in my age group. I was back! Or so I thought.
A water skiing mishap in August of 2010 landed me with torn labrums in both hips and a bulged back disc. The result was a series of back injections, three arthroscopic hip surgeries and finally a total hip replacement in September of 2013. Unbelievably, six weeks later my new hip dislocated. In the process of relocating my hip my foot was broken. The result being three months in a hip splint and boot 24/7. No exercising happening with all that on! After the hip splint was removed I was terrified of dislocating my hip again. I was afraid to bike or exercise at all. I’m really not sure what I was fearful of but I think it was failure. I just couldn’t do it again: come back from square zero. With much encouragement I very slowly ventured back into exercising. At this point I had not been on my bike in 3 years!
Summer of 2014 I accepted the challenge of participating in a team triathlon. Time to get back on the bike right? No, I was swimming. 1500m in open water. I don’t swim! My daughter was doing the tri and I started swimming with her. It was disastrous. Once again I enlisted help of friends to teach me how to swim. Trust me, swimming is hard and I struggled with muscle cramps but was determined not to let down my team. The date of the tri arrived and we were ready to give it our best shot. I finished the swim in under an hour. It’s a good thing there aren’t style points in swimming. We didn’t finish on the podium but we did finish!
Now I’m done with swimming and ready to get back on my bike. Nope, here comes another setback. PKD can result in liver cysts and cerebral aneurysms. In true overachiever style I have both. I had liver cysts removed in October 2014 again thinking this’ll be easy – after all, the surgery is performed laparoscopically. Post-op I developed a liver abscess. In an attempt to drain the abscess my lung was nicked and I had a small pneumothorax. More time in the hospital. More starting over again. Each time coming back is harder than the last. Yes, I have considered throwing in the towel. I consider it almost daily but I guess I’m not programmed to give up without a fight. Too stubborn some would say. I’m pleased to be back on my bike and honored to be participating as a team member in the Ramblin’ Rose Raleigh sprint tri. As Jimmy V said “Don’t give up. Don’t ever give up.” And to quote a bumper sticker, “Don’t take your organs to heaven. Heaven knows we need them here.”
