Young kidney transplant patient heads for a triathlon

Young kidney transplant patient heads for a triathlon

Wednesday, July 11, 2007
By Jack Kelly, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

The telephone call that shattered Brad Davern's world came on the morning of the Fourth of July, 2001.

It was his doctor, calling with the results of his blood test. "Take Brad to the hospital right away," he told Brad's dad.

Then a sophomore on a basketball scholarship at Bethany College in West Virginia, Mr. Davern, now 26, knew something was amiss:

"I was coughing up blood for two weeks," he said. "I had no energy. I couldn't run up and down the court."

But Mr. Davern had no idea how much was wrong: His kidneys were failing. He was diagnosed initially with Wegener's Granulomatosis, an inflammation of the arteries that supply blood to the lungs, sinuses and kidneys.

For the next five years, the young man was in and out of hospitals. He got a kidney transplant on Oct. 2, 2002. The donor was his sister, Megan. But after six months, his body rejected it.

Mr. Davern got a second kidney transplant on April 27, 2006. His body rejected that one after only nine days. He is currently not employed or going to school.

Healthy kidneys remove waste products and excess fluid from the bloodstream in the form of urine. Because Mr. Davern does not have functioning kidneys, he goes for dialysis on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, for about four hours each time.

"You feel like a helium balloon going in, drained when you go out," he said.

Despite his ailment, he intends to take part in the Lifetime Fitness Triathlon at Lake Nokomis in Minneapolis, Minn., on Saturday. He'll swim 1.5 kilometers (.93 miles), bike 40 kilometers (24.9 miles) and run 5 kilometers (3.1 miles).

The race will be especially challenging, because the temperature that day is forecast to be in the mid-90s, and dialysis patients are cautioned to limit their intake of fluids.

Though he'd been a star athlete at Steel Valley High School, where he'd played basketball, soccer and volleyball, Mr. Davern has never competed in a triathlon before. He was inspired to try by Shad Ireland, who on July 25, 2004, became the first dialysis patient ever to complete a full Ironman (2.4-mile swim, followed by a 112-mile bike ride, followed by running a marathon (27.2 miles).

Mr. Davern met Mr. Ireland, who lives in Minnesota, at the Kidney Walk in Schenley Park last September. The 5-kilometer walk is a fund-raising event for the National Kidney Foundation of Western Pennsylvania. Mr. Davern will be part of Team Ireland in the Lifetime Fitness Triathlon.

"I gave a little presentation for my foundation," Mr. Ireland said. "Brad came up to me afterwards and said: 'I want to do what you do.' "

Mr. Ireland, 35, has been a dialysis patient since age 10. He too has had two failed kidney transplants. The Shad Ireland Foundation provides fitness grants to challenged athletes. Brad Davern has raised more than $4,000 for the foundation.

"I think Brad's going to be a great role model," Mr. Ireland said. "He's committed to giving back to his community."

To prepare for the triathlon, Mr. Davern works out about two hours a day, six days a week. In a typical week, he'll run 3 to 4 miles on Monday, Tuesday and Friday; bike 15 miles on Wednesday and Saturday, and swim on Thursday. He also lifts weights for 45 minutes to an hour each of those days.

Dialysis patients tend to suffer from anemia and muscle wasting, so it takes more than a little resolve to stick to such a rigorous physical regimen.

"I had to train myself to get out and train," Mr. Davern said. "It's hard, but once I start going, it's easier."

"Working out helps you physically and mentally," he said. "It helps me feel better about myself. This is the first year I haven't been in the hospital. I must be doing something right."

Mr. Davern said he hopes he can inspire other dialysis patients the way Shad Ireland has inspired him.

"You can't let [the loss of kidney function] get you down," he said. "It doesn't mean your life is over. It's an obstacle, not a barrier."

A large part of the obstacle is psychological. There were 15 other dialysis patients on his shift at the Da Vita dialysis center near his Munhall home when Mr. Davern began his treatment. He's the only one still there. "Everyone I sat next to has died," he said.

Most dialysis patients are older. But Mr. Davern has had three close calls. Three times he has suffered seizures from high blood pressure.

Exercise is one way he keeps from worrying or complaining about his circumstances. Another is to focus on the needs of others.

Last year his dad, John, 57, developed colon cancer. He had a golf ball-sized tumor removed, followed by 10 months of chemotherapy.

"Instead of me taking care of him, he was taking care of me," John Davern said. "He'd sit for hours with me while I was getting chemo. What I have is nothing compared to what he has. I really needed him at that time, and Brad was there for me."

(Jack Kelly can be reached at jkelly@post-gazette.com or 412-263-1476. )

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/07192/800647-114.stm

PHOTO: Brad Davern lifts 50-pound dumbbells during his workout at the fitness center at the Carnegie Library of Homestead in Munhall last week. The dialysis patient is preparing for a triathlon in Minnesota on Sunday.