Motivational

Dialysis Patient and Triathlete: Shad Ireland

Will Shad Ireland be the first dialysis patient ever to compete in and complete a grueling Ironman® Triathlon?

Imagine—you're a 10-year-old boy suddenly thrust into the world of dialysis. You look around your dialysis unit and see elderly people, sick people, dying people—including kids. You're told this will be your life from now on. Who will you look up to for inspiration? Who will be your hero?

Fast-forward 21 years to today and meet Shad Ireland. Is he the inspiration? Is he the hero? He was the 10-year-old boy. The boy who came through fear, uncertainty, dialysis, defiance, compliance, two failed kidney transplants, near death and triathlon training to—as he would say—“turn obstacles into achievements.”

Getting the diagnosis

Shad's first indication he had kidney problems came in March 1983. “I began peeing blood,” he said. “It looked like coffee.” As many 10-year olds would do, Shad ignored it until he got really sick two months later. He was then diagnosed with MPGN (membranoproliferative glomerulonephritis) Type 1. His doctors thought they could keep him off dialysis for a while, but by October that same year, Shad began treatments.

“I thought it was punishment,” Shad remembers, “I fought. I didn't follow food and fluid restrictions and did whatever I wanted. But my medical team was very aggressive in treating me with six-hour treatments. Three days a week my schedule was: 6:00 a.m. go to school, then from 4:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. get dialysis at the University of Minnesota.”

Transplant Setbacks

The excitement of a transplant turned to disappointment a few times for Shad. “Initially, my mom was a match for a transplant, but my disease was very aggressive and after so many blood transfusions when I was first sick, I couldn't have the operation because she wasn't a match anymore,” he said.

At age 16, after overhearing doctors tell his mother he wasn't expected to live past 25, Shad threw away his ambitious dreams of early high school graduation and a law degree by age 20. He didn't take care of himself. Not until a match came up for a transplant in March 1990 did Shad became compliant. “I always took my meds,” he states. Yet, after three years, his new kidney failed.

“I spent six weeks in March 1993 in the hospital in and out of a coma. I went from 145 to 90 pounds because my kidney was rejecting. I had all the symptoms of a brain tumor, but they couldn't find one. My body had had it and was shutting down. I got ARDS (acute respiratory distress syndrome—a life-threatening lung condition) and my lungs were filling with fluid. The doctors told my mother and father they didn't think I would make it,” explains Shad.

Luckily, he did make it and went back on dialysis. Another matching kidney was found in 2000. Shad underwent another transplant, but got ATN (acute tubular necrosis—a kidney disorder that results in sudden kidney failure) and that kidney never worked.

“No more transplants for me. I don't do well on anti-rejection meds,” said Shad.

Turning the Corner

When the first transplant failed and Shad was clinging to life in the hospital, he experienced a life-changing event. It happened one day after being wheeled back to his hospital room from the hemodialysis unit. Shad remembers, “I had a huge beard and I thought I would feel better if I shaved and took a shower. I went to stand up and I fell down because my muscles had atrophied. I crawled to the bathroom and shaved with those plastic hospital razors. Then I sat in the corner of the shower and cried for an hour. I knew I was sick, but I was going to do whatever it took to never be like that again.”

After spending the next 13 months on his mom's couch making steady progress every day, Shad fought his way back to health with his philosophy to overcome obstacles and turn them into achievements. A 1994 family photo reminds him how far he's come.

“I had always wanted to do sports, but was too small for football in high school. I saw an Ironman contest when I had my transplant. I always wanted to do the Ironman when I was younger, but never acted on it. I looked at myself and there was disparity between me and them, but I thought I could really do this. Ironman triathletes are the best in the world. I wanted to challenge myself to the hardest thing and be the best I can be. I wanna push myself,” said Shad.

Shad wanted to do last year's race, but he couldn't afford it. “There was the $1,000 entry fee and the cost of the equipment. A bike alone can cost between $1,500 and $8,000. Then there's shoes, pedals, helmets, the list goes on,” Shad recites. “I am trying to gain sponsorship this time because to compete is going to cost me over $25,000.”

The Race

“The Ironman USA competition in Lake Placid, New York on July 25, 2004, will be my first Ironman and my first triathlon,” declares Shad. “My goal is to not only complete the competition, but to finish with a qualifying time that will enable me to compete in the Ironman World Championship in Kona, Hawaii on October 16, 2004.”

The race starts at 7:00 a.m. and 17 hours later all events must be completed. The three race events include a 2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike ride and 26.2-mile run. The 2003 first-place finisher in the 30- to 34-year old category finished in 9 hours 43 minutes and the last person to qualify for the World Championship finished in 10 hours 23 minutes only 40 minutes after the first-place finisher. There are only 14 qualifying spots (the top 14 times out of about 422 racers) to go to Hawaii . Shad knows those are the kind of times he'll have to hit to have a shot this year.

Training Days

A local gym in Minneapolis offered a triathlon class and Shad enrolled to prepare for the Ironman competition. It was there he met his coaches Jared Berg and Dan Cohen from TriEndurance (TriEndurance.com). The first concern of his trainers was Shad's medical health. They wanted to talk to his doctor and dietitian before they would train him. Jared and Dan got the green light from Shad's medical team and training began on March 15. Shad's routine is a 16-week training cycle. He says the goal is to figure out how to get peak performance from the body to race on the 16th week. Shad trains seven days a week for 11-20 hours in the gym and started training outside in early April. Shad commented, he was, “In pain constantly, but a good pain.”

Currently, Shad is on dialysis for 12 hours a week, but will be going up to 15 hours two months before the race because potassium levels can get high. He has a modified diet due to the training and eats seven times a day. He says, “I'm on a no-added salt diet, I monitor salt, watch my potassium and take my phosphorous binders. I have great protein levels and I like steak, tuna and chicken. My carbs [carbohydrates] are okay and I don't eat cheese or milk. I also try to avoid chocolate.”

As an athlete with a chronic kidney disease, Shad says he feels pretty good, “After dialysis I sometimes have low blood pressure and feel a little dizzy and a little tired. At ages 16 to 25 I would leave dialysis and go dance for five hours straight. No dancing until 2:00 a.m. now. I do get Epogen, Zemplar and iron. I take a vitamin and Renagel, which is a [phosphorous] binder, that's it, no other medications. My original kidneys were removed so I don't have any blood pressure issues, as a matter of fact my blood pressure tends to run low.”

Shad maintains, “I've always gotten what I needed because I question everything and I want to know. I want the best level of care I can get. I'm able to do what I'm able to do, because of the treatment I get.”

Gut-check time

When asked how his times are, Shad states, “Not where they need to be.” But he quips about what he needs to reach his goals, “Prayer,” he laughs. “For me to finish or qualify is unheard of. Las Vegas odds are 1,000 to 1, but I say bet the long shot, it pays better.”

Shad has found inspiration in Lance Armstrong's achievements and in taking stock of his own life. “I have a gift,” said Shad, “I'm healthy. In the grand scheme of things I don't have it bad. I've always been a fighter. I hate to lose. What's the alternative to giving up?”

In summarizing his life to this point, Shad recounts, “I remember when I started dialysis; I was 10-years old. I looked at everyone who was on dialysis and they were all really sick. I had no positive role model, no one to look to. I thought I was going to be sick like everyone else. I was scared. Now, I want to be the role model that I never had as a little kid. That journey has started. I thought I was going to die, but I took control. I decided to make changes when I was 25. After I realized: Hey! I'm still here. I want to be able to inspire others, to give back, and make a difference. I want to encourage others to live life, to find strength in any adversity they encounter, to stand tall no matter the circumstance.”

Training for the Ironman is an ambitious undertaking for anyone, add to that a chronic kidney disease and the task seems nearly impossible. But it's easy to believe in Shad, because in many ways this race parallels his journey in life. “You'll hit a brick wall somewhere in the race. It will happen,” Shad insists, “A lot of people stop. But you need to reach down and finish.”

Visit Shad Ireland's website at www.shadireland.com to learn more about him, follow his training progress and help him with donations for the race.