{"id":7294,"date":"2020-10-05T19:45:22","date_gmt":"2020-10-05T19:45:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cdtrp.ca\/?p=7294"},"modified":"2020-10-06T14:19:12","modified_gmt":"2020-10-06T14:19:12","slug":"pfd-research-forum-feature-donna-hart","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cdtrp.ca\/en\/pfd-research-forum-feature-donna-hart\/","title":{"rendered":"Patient, Family and Donor Research Forum Feature – Donna Hart"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Patient, Family and Donor Research Forum Feature – Donna Hart<\/h4>\n

As part of our Patient, Family and Donor Research Forum October 15-16, the CDTRP is delighted to have Donna Hart as a panelist in the session \u201cResearch 101: Transplant Recipient Focus\u201d. Donna is a heart transplant recipient, a CDTRP patient partner, and a passionate advocate for an active lifestyle after transplantation. She is a member of CDTRP Theme 5 and the\u00a0<\/span><\/span>Canadian Donation and Transplantation Exercise Hub<\/span><\/span>, a working group f<\/span><\/span>or targeted discussion of exercise,\u00a0<\/span><\/span>prehabilitation<\/span><\/span>, rehabilitation and sarcopenia and how they relate to the transplant patient.\u202f<\/span><\/span>The Hub works<\/span><\/span>\u00a0to focus project support, allow for collaborative grant\u00a0<\/span><\/span>development,<\/span><\/span>\u00a0and advance and elaborate\u00a0<\/span><\/span>new\u00a0<\/span><\/span>initiatives.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

We caught up with Donna recently to hear about her latest adventures and her thoughts on the upcoming Forum.<\/p>\n

Tell us about your latest adventure!<\/h5>\n

“I love adventure, finding people to come with me on my hiking adventures\u202fcan be tricky.\u202f\u202f\u202f<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

This past weekend a friend and I hiked 35.5 km over two days on\u00a0<\/span>the\u00a0<\/span>Blue Mountain section of the Bruce Trail.\u202f16+ km<\/span>,<\/span>\u00a0day one and 19+\u00a0<\/span>km,\u00a0<\/span>day 2.\u202fWe stayed overnight in\u00a0<\/span>Creemore<\/span>, Ontario so that we could be close to the trail.\u202fThe weather was near perfect, sunny, warm and a bit windy.\u202fThe leaves were starting to turn colour making the vistas beautiful.\u202fThe \u2018thing\u2019 about the Bruce Trail is that if you go down a hill you can pretty much guarantee that you will be going up another one soon enough.\u202fThe elevation gain was 409<\/span>\u00a0m,<\/span>\u00a0day 1 and 404\u00a0<\/span>m,\u00a0<\/span>day 2.\u202fI like to hike as the earth curves, but day 2<\/span>,<\/span>\u00a0I questioned whether we were actually going mostly downhill.\u202f\u202f\u202f<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Hiking the Bruce trail was something that I did prior to getting heart disease and my subsequent heart transplant.\u202fAt that time, I would usually hike 20+ km a day.\u202fI hiked 30 km one day but found that a little too long.\u202f<\/span>G<\/span>etting back into shape and conquering 19 km with something still left in the tank was very encouraging for me.\u202fIt is quite possible that I still have it in me to\u00a0<\/span>g<\/span>o back to 20+ km a day.\u202f<\/span>\ud83d\ude0a<\/span>\u202f<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Usually in September my husband and I go on a cycling vacation.\u202fThis year we did day trips.\u202fWe cycle with a bunch of friends from our cycling club.\u202fThey are all faster than me but are\u202fcontent to go my speed; on the flats I can certainly do my part and keep up with them.\u202fThis year we cycled the Cambridge\u202fto Paris rail trail (50 km) G2G trail from Monkton to Guelph over two days (105 km). We cycled around Niagara<\/span>–<\/span>on<\/span>–<\/span>the<\/span>–<\/span>Lake (50<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>km) and we cycled from St. Catharines to Burlington (63 km) with consistent 30 km winds in our face.\u202fThat was the toughest ride\u202fof the season.\u202f\u202f<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

I had a canoe trip planned to canoe from Whitehorse to Dawson City in the\u00a0<\/span>Yukon<\/span> but that trip was one of the many casualties of COVID19.\u202f\u202f”<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Why do you think exercise is important for a transplant recipient?<\/h5>\n

“Exercise is important to me.\u202f\u202fIt is a way to decompress and reset.\u202fThis year there was nothing to train for <\/span>\u2013\u00a0<\/span>I really enjoyed riding just for the sheer fun of getting together with friends who share a common goal.\u202f\u202f<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The benefits of adding\u202ffitness into your life for all of us is well documented.\u202fAfter my transplant I was very weak.\u202fWalking a k<\/span>ilometer<\/span>\u00a0was a major undertaking that required careful planning with a pre and post rest.\u202fAt home<\/span>,<\/span>\u00a0I started walking 3 house lengths and back<\/span>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>T<\/span>hen I got so I could go around my street.\u202fI remember the first time I walked 1.9 km.\u202fI wasn\u2019t confident that\u202fI could go that far but I made it home.\u202fI was nervous to break into the 2 km range, so I started by just walking the two streets around where I live. Walking was the hardest activity to get back into.\u202fCycling was easier because you sit on a bike and you can glide.\u202fI swim as well and\u00a0<\/span>likewise\u00a0<\/span>with swimming<\/span>,<\/span>\u00a0you glide, plus each length offered an opportunity to rest.\u202f\u202f\u202f<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

As a transplant patient, I am on prednisone. One of the side effects I can have is\u00a0<\/span>trouble\u00a0<\/span>both getting to sleep and staying asleep.\u202fEven a bit of exercise (20-minute brisk walk)\u202feach day helps mitigate the side effects.\u202fAnother side effect of prednisone is weight gain. Cycling really helps maintain my weight where I would like it to be and feed the desire to eat that one has while on prednisone.\u202fWhen I first started with my recovery<\/span>,<\/span>\u00a0it felt like the heart was saying\u00a0<\/span>\u201c<\/span>What are we doing!!<\/span>\u201d<\/span>\u00a0and\u00a0<\/span>\u201c<\/span>Are we doing this again!!<\/span>\u201d<\/span>.<\/span>\u00a0I could feel the resistance.\u202fMy heart is stronger now<\/span>,<\/span>\u00a0but still never knows what is going on<\/span>. \u201cS<\/span>hould I be beating fast or resting?<\/span>\u201d,<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\u201c<\/span>What are we doing now and for how long<\/span>?\u201d<\/span>\u00a0are the questions I feel it now asks me.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Most winters I swim with a club and since my transplant<\/span>,<\/span>\u00a0I take ski lessons.\u202fIt is hard to predict with COVID how any of that will play out right now.\u202f\u202f<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

As a transplant patient I was gifted with a second chance at life.\u202fI don\u2019t want to waste opportunities.\u202fI don\u2019t want to look back and think, oh I should have<\/span>\u2026\u00a0<\/span>I want to be in the best shape possible to live as normal and healthy a life as I can.\u202f\u202f\u202f<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

More than once I have set off on an adventure wondering if I had overestimated my abilities; my experience is that if I can dream it<\/span>,<\/span> I can probably do it.\u202f\u202f”<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Are you excited to participate in the upcoming Patient Family and Donor Research Forum?<\/h5>\n

“I am excited about the\u202fupcoming <\/span><\/span>Patient Family and Donor Research Forum<\/strong>!<\/span><\/span>\u202fI hope I can encourage people to see their life as one of opportunities and not limitations.\u202f\u202f”<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

You can find Donna on Twitter\u202f(@recycleyourself), Instagram (@donnaeleanoe), Facebook and Strava\u202f(Donna Hart). <\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>

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CDTRP Patient, Family and Donor Research Forum \u2013 October 15-16, 2020<\/h4>\n

The CDTRP is happy to invite all patients, family members and living donors interested in donation and transplantation research to attend this two-day event. The event will be separated in four blocks:<\/p>\n

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  1. Family-caregivers;<\/li>\n
  2. Transplant recipients;<\/li>\n
  3. Living donors;<\/li>\n
  4. Future avenues for research.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
    Please visit the\u00a0Patient, Family and Donor Research Forum<\/a>\u00a0website to see the program.<\/h5>\n
    FREE REGISTRATION HERE.<\/a><\/h5>\n
    #PFDRF<\/strong><\/h5>\n<\/div>
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    Supporters<\/h5>\n

    The CDTRP would like to thank the Support of the following organizations (in alphabetical order):<\/p>\n