THUNDER BAY — A heart transplant recipient from Thunder Bay has once again shown that people suffering from organ failure can still look forward to long and rewarding lives.
71-year-old Dale Shippam has just returned from the Andes, where he was part of a team that scaled volcanic mountains while raising awareness and funds for Test Your Limits, a program that supports cardiac research and care.
Shippam, who was on the verge of death when he received a donor heart at Toronto General Hospital in 1999, has helped to raise about $4 million to date through expeditions over the years to places like Antarctica, Nepal, Tibet, the North Pole and the Nahanni River in the Northwest Territories.
He's just returned home from a three-week expedition in Ecuador.
"We climbed seven different volcanoes. The last one was Chimborazo. That was the real final goal, and we went up to high camp, which is at about 5,400 metres, well above the clouds," he said in an interview Tuesday.
The objective was the summit, which at 6,310 metres is an altitude no one with a donated heart has ever reached.
But it proved far too hazardous to continue beyond high camp, because the climate in the Andes is changing.
"They hadn't had much rain, and on that mountain you really start climbing at midnight after things have frozen up. You're hoping there's enough moisture that it freezes the rocks in place so they're not tumbling on you. But it was so dry there, there was real danger of rockfalls," Shippam said.
On its way to the final camp, the team spotted boulders the size of washing machines that were crashing down in an area they would have had to cross to get to the top.
"Our guide just determined it would be too risky to make that traverse. He was saying they're going to have to find a new route up the mountain, because the present route is just getting too dangerous."
In a post on his Facebook page, Shippam wrote, "We may be testing our limits, but we are not playing roulette with our lives."
He's not disappointed at all with how the expedition ended, saying everyone came home safe and healthy from a trip that supported fundraising for an important cause and, hopefully, was a source of inspiration to people needing a new heart.
"It was a real test. Certainly my transplanted heart stood up to the test. Many days we climbed the equivalent of three times up the Sleeping Giant. That's the type of elevation change we experienced. For everyone on the list waiting for a heart... it will give them some confidence that when they get their transplanted heart, they can expect to maybe not climb mountains, but certainly go back to work and lead a normal, active life."
Shippam recalled that when he was waiting for a suitable donor almost 25 years ago, he expected he would be forced into a pretty sedentary lifestyle after his surgery.
"Now, I've talked to many people that are waiting, and they're all very optimistic about their future because of these endeavours, and not just my own. There are other people running races and doing all kinds of things, which is very good for the program."
He continues to advocate for the organ donor registry, saying people who sign up will make it much easier on their survivors.
"If you're unfortunate enough to have some sort of accident, it's a very tough decision for your family to make. They'll be asked if they want to donate your organs. If you're registered, that takes all the pressure off."
