- Kevin Mashford, 38, was born with multiple rare defects of the heart
- Had three pacemakers fitted, but had a stroke which was nearly fatal
- Was put on transplant list and underwent surgery successfully last May
- Learned a keen cyclist called John had died and had donated his heart
- After the transplant, Mr Mashford developed a new passion for cycling
A father whose life was saved by a heart transplanted from a keen cyclist awoke to find he had a passion for the sport too.
Kevin Mashford, 38, was given weeks to live as he battled a congenital heart condition.
The
businessman did not realise how serious his illness was until medics
told him he had kidney failure, lung failure and heart failure.
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Kevin Mashford, 38, developed a new
passion for cycling after a life-saving heart transplant from a man
called John - an avid cyclist who had died in a collision with a car
while out riding
After waking up from the transplant
operation Mr Mashford begged physiotherapists to bring an exercise bike
into his room, and cycled for seven minutes a day. Despite never having
cycled before, he took to the saddle when he left hospital, and now
regularly cycles, with John's name etched into his helmet
However,
after his successful operation, doctors told Mr Mashford his new heart
came from a man named John – an avid cyclist who was killed in a
collision with a car while out riding.
Seven
days after his 13-hour operation he asked physiotherapists to bring an
exercise bike into his room and cycled seven minutes every day for a
week.
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And,
despite never having cycled before, he took to the saddle as soon as he
left hospital and is now regularly clocking up the miles – with John’s
name etched inside his helmet.
He
is also gearing up for a challenging 342-mile ride from his home near
Bristol to Newcastle – where he had the life-saving transplant – to
raise money in John’s memory.
Mr Mashford was born with multiple
heart defects, meaning his heart was not effectively pumping blood
around his body. He was fitted with three pacemakers (one of which is
pictured in an X-ray before his heart transplant) but suffered a stroke
and nearly died
In January last year Mr Mashford's
condition deteriorated and he was put on the list for a heart
transplant. He had the operation and says when he woke up and was told
his heart was from a cyclist he immediately felt 'stronger'. He
completed a 30 mile charity cycle ride in John's memory 19 weeks later
Mr
Mashford – whose wife Jo, 38, is expecting their third child – said:
‘Before my transplant I had never really cycled. But when I found out
that my donor had died in a cycling accident I was determined to do it
in his memory.
‘I
have “RIP John” written in my cycling helmet so he’s with me whenever
I’m on the bike. I only know his first name, John, and when I’m tired I
ask him for a bit extra and it spurs me on.’
Mr
Mashford – who has two sons Liam, six, and Josh, nine – had a
congenital heart condition and has had a number of major operations
since his diagnosis. He has had three pacemakers fitted, suffered a
stroke and was read his last rites at one point. However, he went on to
recover and lived as normal a life as possible and even set up his own
design and project management business.
After his heart
transplant (he is pictured in hospital after the procedure) Mr Mashford
now wants to encourage people to sign on to the organ donor list. 'At
some point my donor had made a conscious effort to sign up to the organ
register and as a result I am able to keep enjoying my life as well as
bring a new one' he said
Mr Mashford, father to sons Josh, nine
(left) and Liam, six (right) says he owes everything to his heart
donor, John. He said: 'Thanks to him signing on the organ donor list I
have a new life, a really active life. I have a sense of responsibility
to my donor and his family and I'm never going to waste it'
But
his condition deteriorated and in January last year he was admitted to
the Freeman Hospital in Newcastle, and placed on the donor register
where he awaited a new heart. The surgery took place in May last year.
The hospital is an internationally recognised transplant centre. He
claimed that as soon as he was told about John he knew everything was
going to be fine.
He
said: ‘I was keen to find out a bit about my donor. The moment I woke
up I felt stronger. I asked my physio to bring in an exercise bike and I
cycled seven minutes a day for the next seven days in memory of my
donor. My heart wanted to go and go.
‘Nineteen weeks later I completed a 30-mile charity cycle in his memory. A year later I rode 54 miles from London to Brighton.’
Mr
Mashford, from Backwell, North Somerset, said he owes everything to
John. He added: ‘I realised another family have done this for me –
another family have enabled my family to carry on.’
On
why he had taken up cycling, he said: ‘Some people talk about how
muscle memory can survive a transplant but I don’t know about that. I
put it down to the fact that I wanted to do something in John’s memory
and, because he was keen on cycling, I chose that.’
Mr
Mashford’s wife Jo said: ‘Kevin’s transplant has had an unbelievable
change. We feel like we have been given a second chance at life.’
To sponsor Mr Mashford visit his website:www.team-mash.co.uk
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