Heart op athlete's tribute to family of saviour.
Byline: MICHAEL CHRISTIEA TOP athlete who had a heart transplant has dedicated his medal haul to the man who saved his life.
Reg Chisholm returned from the European Heart and Lung Transplant Games as Scotland's number one.
And he has given thanks to the family of the man who allowed him to live again.
He said: "I know nothing about him, but I will forever be grateful they allowed me to have his heart."
Looking at the two golds, silver and a bronze he brought back from the games in Austria, he admitted the donor was in his thoughts.
He said: "He was always in the back of my mind, whoever he was. These medals are my tribute to him."
Reg, 48, had a massive heart attack when he was 45. He was told he needed a transplant or would die, and days later, a donor was found.
In December 1999, the dad- of-three was under the knife at Glasgow Royal Infirmary.
It was the start of a new life for the Dunbar-based ScottishPower worker.
He said: "I thought, this man didn't have the chance to live on, so I should try to keep his heart in top condition."
The former Dunbar Rugby Club forward won the 21km veterans cycle race then gold in the biathlon, silver in the 1500 metres and bronze helping the Spanish team in the 4x100 metres relay.
He added: "It's a dream come true. I can hardly believe it. I wanted to do it for myself, my wife Norma, and my sons and grandkids.
"But above all I wanted to do it for that man who didn't have the chance.
"I also wanted to thank his family."
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| Publication: | Daily Record (Glasgow, Scotland) |
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| Date: | Jun 22, 2002 |
| Words: | 283 |
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