Anchors
away! Heart-kidney transplant recipient sets sail to raise awareness
for organ donation
Ardell Lien is a man on a mission. The 70-year-old retired military
officer is on a solo sailing adventure around the world in his
27-foot boat "Catalyst." Ardell, recipient of a heart-kidney
transplant at Mayo Clinic in
January 2003, is using his 27,000 mile, 15-month journey to help
raise awareness of the critical need for organ donation.
"Sailing is my passion, but increasing the number of registered
organ donors is my mission," he says.
Sailing around the world was a lifelong dream of Ardell's. But a few
years ago, he thought his sailing days were behind him forever.
Ardell and his wife Maureen had been living aboard their sailboat
for six years when his health forced them to sell their boat and
return to their hometown of Caledonia, Minn.
"I'd been diagnosed with congestive heart failure in 1991 but had
very few symptoms until 1998," Ardell recalls. "By 2001, I was down
to 150 pounds and everyone in town knew I was on my way out. I slept
18 hours a day and had to crawl up the stairs to my bedroom. I
couldn't even help carry groceries into the house."
Ardell's first appointment at Mayo Clinic was in July 2002. By
October, his health had deteriorated significantly and he was
admitted to
Saint Marys Hospital to await
transplant. He had also sustained kidney damage due to insufficient
blood supply to the organ and was told he would need both a
heart and
kidney transplant.
On Jan. 1, 2003, Ardell received the good news that a matching heart
and kidney were available. Surgery began at 2:30 the next morning.
That evening, Maureen visited Ardell in the recovery room and was
surprised to find that his hands were warm.
"Because of my circulation problems, my hands hadn't been warm in
years," explains Ardell. "The transplant made a difference
immediately."
Ten days later, Ardell was released from Saint Marys Hospital.
Transplant recipients are required to stay in Rochester for 90 days
after surgery for follow-up appointments, so Ardell joined his wife
at the Gift of Life Transplant House where she had stayed throughout
his months of hospitalization.
"My recovery went very well," says Ardell. "I had no pain, and each
day was better than the one before."
Ardell credits the staff at Mayo Clinic with helping aid his
recovery.
"Everyone at Mayo, from the people who work the desks to the
physicians, nurses and technicians, were excellent," says Ardell.
"My primary physician, Dr. Brooks Edwards, was always there with
support and encouragement. I am proud to call him my friend. And you
couldn't find a finer group of professionals than the staff of
Charlton 9 (the Transplant Center)."
Six months after his transplant, Ardell roofed his house. In the
summer of 2004, he remodeled another home from roof to basement. And
shortly after that, he hatched his plan for sailing around the
world.
"I never thought I'd be doing this at 70, alone, in a very small
boat," he says. "But that is what gets attention and will help get
my message out. I hope my journey will show how one life was changed
for the better because of a generous, heroic organ donor."
To learn more about Ardell Lien's journey and organ donation, visit
Organ Donation for Life Inc
(opens in new window).