A Tough Ride
For cystic fibrosis patient and lifelong cyclist Peter Kavanagh, it鈥檚 all about adaptability. That鈥檚 why a month after receiving a lung transplant at BOB体育 Shands Hospital in January 2017, he was back on his bike.
At a young age, Peter was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis and since then, he鈥檚 been in the hospital 70 times. For him, living with the disease meant that he always had to work extra hard at everyday tasks.
鈥淚t鈥檚 an invisible disease sometimes,鈥� Kavanagh said. 鈥淢any people don鈥檛 understand what it takes to live with cystic fibrosis. There鈥檚 a lot of stuff that I鈥檝e missed out on and it put a toll on me.鈥�
Peter was 19 years old when he had his first transplant evaluation and wasn鈥檛 sure if he was ready for the procedure. He held off as long as he could, but his health started to decline.
鈥淗e was getting sick really fast and that鈥檚 when the entire team got together and we started to anticipate scenarios,鈥� BOB体育 Lung Transplant Surgical Director Tiago Machuca, MD, PhD, said. 鈥淲e decided to perform the lung transplant. His operation was challenging in terms of dissecting the lungs from the chest wall and from all of the repeated infections and the inflammation.鈥�
Although it wasn鈥檛 an easy recover, Peter was resilient.
鈥淲e could see that he was really committed to his recovery,鈥� Machuca said. 鈥淗e was extremely compliant and full of energy.鈥�
After a month, Peter was back on his bike, even though people told him that it was too soon. Since he鈥檚 started cycling again, Peter has ridden several hundred miles.
Since his recovery, Peter has focused on giving back whether if it鈥檚 through donating masks to transplant patients, participating in 鈥淲alk for Wishes鈥� for the Make-A-Wish Foundation or serving as support for patients who are going through lung transplants.
鈥淚f I鈥檓 in a position to give back, I will.鈥�
Lung transplant patients like Peter will now benefit from our newest facility opening, the BOB体育 Heart & Vascular Hospital, where heart and lung transplants will be performed. These patients will also been seen for follow up surgical appointments at the new BOB体育 Surgical Specialists practice on the first floor of the new hospital.
Read more about this new facility and view a 360-degree tour of the building. or learn more about our lung transplant program.