Durban - “I want to thank my donor’s family for the amazing gift of life they bestowed upon me and to give them peace of mind that their legacy lives on within me in every breath I take. Every day, I wake up and pray to God for my blessing!”
So says heart transplant recipient Billy Macleod, who will cycle the Amashova Classic tomorrow.
“I am determined to make a significant impact through talks at schools and companies, with the goal of expanding the donor base and increasing awareness about organ donation. I also hope to contribute to an inclusive cycling future by advocating for the use of e-bikes to accommodate riders with various abilities,” said Macleod.
An active sportsman, Macleod initially experienced health complications in 2013. He initially attributed this fatigue to his rigorous participation in sport. He recovered and resumed competition, but over the next six years, his health deteriorated.
Things came to a head in August 2022.
“I had reached a point of despair. After speaking to my wife and daughter about the decision, I was ready to turn off my implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) because I could no longer endure the shocks.
“My heart seemed beyond repair, and I was placed on the heart transplant waiting list. For five days, there was no match, highlighting the dire donor shortage. I made peace with the idea that I might not survive. The day after being discharged, my wife Judy received a phone call. She turned to me and said I should pack a toothbrush because a matching donor had been found.”
A few days after the surgery, Macleod was up and resumed cycling as soon as he was given the all-clear.
Macleod is now on a mission to give back the gift of life he received. He wants to highlight the critical shortage of organ and tissue donors in South Africa, especially within the competitive sports community, where many may not consider themselves at risk. Macleod will be cycling in honour of his donor, family and other donors to create awareness.
“About 4 500 people are on the transplant (heart, heart-lung, kidney, liver and pancreas transplant) waiting list for solid organ transplants in South Africa. This does not take into account people needing tissue transplants like cornea transplants, or those individuals who can’t get onto the transplant list because there are not the facilities for them to go on dialysis in the case of kidney transplants,” said Janet Legemaate, Enza Trust Trustee and project coordinator of the initiative Hero777.
She said that since 2016, Hero777 ‒ a non-profit organisation ‒ has driven awareness of organ and tissue donation. She said by doing so, they saved lives of people needing these interventions.
Although they did not get the intended number of cyclists ‒ the aim was 20 ‒ Legemaate said they had cyclists who really believed in the cause, and that had made this even more special.
“Hero777 chooses a few big projects outside of our social media presence to focus on each year. The Amashova Cycle Race is the oldest race of this nature in the country, and it is based in KZN.
“Transplant patients are encouraged to participate in sport, post-transplant, and many go on to participate in the World Transport Games in their lifetime,” she said.
Their featured cyclist this year ‒ Macleod ‒ had been a cyclist before he became ill and needed a heart transplant.
“For him, the Amashova is extra special because it had been his first ever race, and he came in fourth with his wife Judy on a tandem. To be able to cycle (not race) the race with a group of cyclists, just 13 months after his transplant, is incredible,” said Legemaate.
The Amashova Durban Classic takes place tomorrow. The race starts at 5am at the Pietermaritzburg City Hall and finishes at Durban’s Moses Mabhida Stadium.
The Independent on Saturday