A blog posting by Doctor Anonymous caught my eye and what I was about to read blew me away. He tells of an AP article that describes the story of Kelly Perkins, a 45 year-old heart transplant recipient who, along with her husband Craig, is making a positive impact on organ, blood, and tissue donation and participation. How are they doing this? By climbing some of the world's most challenging mountains!
Read Kelly's full story at their web site where you will also find an amazing photo gallery of their climbing accomplishments.
In September 1992 Kelly was diagnosed with cardiomyopathy after an EKG captured her resting heart rate at 190 beats per minute. She apparently caught a virus that infected her heart. On November 20, 1995, Kelly received a heart transplant at UCLA.
Renewed with life, Kelly went on to shock the medical world by becoming the first ever heart transplant recipient to reach the peak of some of the world’s most famous mountains, including one of the “Seven Summits,” Mt. Kilimanjaro in Africa. In 2003, Craig and Kelly returned to the Swiss Alps to cast their own shadow on the trails below, this time while standing on the top of the Matterhorn. Their remarkable comeback story is a testament to courage, commitment and the relentless desire to live.
Kelly is an inspiration to us all.
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