He carried out the primary lung transplant associated to problems from COVID-19. When he’s not laser targeted on working room procedures, this surgeon is collaborating in journey races.
By IU Heath Senior Journalist, T.J. Banes, tfender1@iuhealth.org
When Kevin Lloyd was in ICU a yr in the past, he complimented Dr. Chad Denlinger on his Good watch. It was a minor trade that changed into one thing memorable for Lloyd.
On the time, Lloyd, 61, was the primary IU Well being affected person to obtain a lung transplant ensuing from problems of COVID-19. Dr. Denlinger is Chief of Thoracic Surgical procedure at IU Well being Methodist Hospital and Indiana College and Surgical Director of the Lung Transplant Program at IU Well being.
“Dr. Denlinger and Dr. Kashif Saleem tag teamed for my surgical procedure,” stated Lloyd. Dr. Saleem can be a thoracic surgeon. The 2 docs have one thing else in widespread – they joined different members of IU Well being’s transplant workforce final yr for a four-hour journey race. Different workforce members included scientific transplant coordinators Ken Lemler and Brenda Kowinski, and doctor assistant Sarah Caudill.
That one easy trade a couple of Good watch opened up an entire dialog between Lloyd and Dr. Denlinger.
“He might not have even identified how a lot it meant to me. It was at a time in my life the place I used to be scared and I needed to speak about one thing apart from my well being,” stated Lloyd. “Instantly Dr. Denlinger began sharing tales of his journey racing and the way he makes use of the look ahead to competitions. “
Lloyd was transplanted on Feb. 14, 2021. Married 40 years to his spouse, Debbie, he’s the daddy to 2 grownup kids. That surgical procedure has given him a brand new lease on life – together with changing into a grandparent for the primary time to a child lady.
“Till my transplant turned an possibility, we have been speaking about finish of life. I can’t say sufficient about IU Well being and the transplant workforce. You possibly can lookup each ‘nice’ phrase within the dictionary and that describes Dr. Denlinger. His bedside method is one of the best I’ve ever seen,” stated Lloyd. “I advised him once I was in ICU that I’d like to present him a hug however I believed I’d by no means let go.”
The previous yr has been crammed with highs and lows for Lloyd. He stays off work as an plane upkeep supervisor, to guard his well being. He lately returned to IU Well being for coronary heart surgical procedure and each day works to construct up his power and endurance.
For Dr. Denlinger, journey racing is a technique to construct his personal power and endurance. It’s additionally a technique to preserve work-life stability. He joined IU Faculty of Drugs as Professor of Surgical procedure in 2020 after practising for 22 years in South Carolina. Dr. Denlinger grew up in Ohio and graduated from the Ohio State Faculty of Drugs in 2000. He then accomplished his normal surgical residency on the College of Virginia and thoracic surgical fellowship at Washington College.
On the month of Lloyd’s one-year transplant anniversary, Dr. Denlinger accomplished a three-day Sea-to-Sea Race, the most important expedition race in America. For 72 hours, this continuous race took him from Florida’s West Coast to East Coast. In survivor-type trend, contestants have been dropped off at a secret location the place and raced on foot, mountain bike, and canoe.
“Your entire course is self-navigated the place racers are given maps that embrace places of checkpoints hidden someplace in the midst of a forest or swamp,” stated Dr. Denlinger, who has competed in 20 occasions. “Racers and groups are ranked in line with the variety of checkpoints they can discover. GPS gadgets are forbidden. Bikes are allowed to have odometers however measuring distance whereas trekking or paddling requires understanding your tempo and a stopwatch.
“Bodily exercise is essential as a result of our private well being relies upon closely upon how nicely we care for ourselves via private selections concerning vitamin, train, weight-maintenance and tobacco,” he stated.
As a surgeon he says he enjoys assembly sufferers with all kinds of circumstances and speaking with them about their therapy choices.
And when he’s on his journey programs he says: “Everybody in these races is pretty aggressive, however we’re additionally nice associates working collectively to fend off the sleep monsters and rail in opposition to the sadistic creatures that arrange the course.”
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