Double Lung Transplant Recipient operates Ironman 70.3 in Tennessee

Born with cystic fibrosis and injured in a gymnastics accident while she was in her teens, Cassandra Clements is taking advantage of her durability in triathlons and other races today after undergoing a double lung transplant surgery in 2019.

Cassandra Clements faces challenges throughout her life. A teenage gymnastics accident that left Clements due to turbulent development, cystic fibrosis that led to double lung transplantation, and complications from a broken spine.

Hurdles – and mostly for them, for Clements, a dedicated athlete, chose to face the new challenges of competition in triathlons.

In May, Clements took part in Iron Man 70.3 Chattanooga. She was completed and made her the first American female double lung recipient, according to a news release from the Tennessee Donor Services.

“It was amazing. I was very excited about myself,” Clements told Knox News. “I knew I could probably finish it, but I finished it in a really good time. I still felt very fresh and very strong, and I know there's a lot more in the tank for my next triathlon.”

“The happiest six years of my life”

About three years ago, Clements' husband Kevin Clements bought a mountain bike. She finally began to regain her health following her transplant surgery, and as a lifelong athlete, Cassandra Clements wanted to continue her active lifestyle, but she didn't know where to start.

The bike turns out to be part of her new passion impulse as a triathlon competitor, introducing her to one of three parts of multisport racing.

But a few years before she got her bike, Clements, now 30, didn't know if her life could accommodate the joys she found in athletics and participating in them. In fact, she had no idea if she was alive at all.

Clements was born with cystic fibrosis, a genetic disorder that causes the accumulation of mucus that can damage the lungs and pancreas along with other organs. When she was 20, Clements learned that she needed a double lung transplant to survive.

At first, Clements decided not to get it. “I was tired of the fight and I was going to lose myself peacefully,” she said. “I was told that if I didn't want to live for myself, I was trying to live for her,” these words changed Clements' perspective.

She moved to Massachusetts entirely alone and eventually received her transplant. While she waited, her now husband joined Clements in Massachusetts and helped her care.

In January 2019, Clements was about to be placed on a ventilator, but she realized she hadn't lived this long. “Kevin and I were basically saying goodbye to us all day,” she said.

Then, at 11 hours, she learns that the donor has been found. “I woke up and I was like, 'Oh, I made it.' It was like “I'm alive.” ”

That experience changed Clements' overall outlook.

“I couldn't actually be proud of myself and happiness. Because of my port, these are the happiest six years of my life,” she said. “I couldn't be more grateful for what they and my donors had given me.”

I'll push it over and over again

Today, Clements competes as a Class PTS5 Para Athlete for her gymnastics injuries, affecting her legs, neck and arms, and spends much of her time competing in triathlons and other races. For her, these activities are not just hobbies, they are full-time jobs.

Clements trains between 20-30 hours a week, in addition to working with physical therapy, mobility work and breathing coaches. In other words, racial preparation is not only time-consuming. That's also expensive.

She is looking for sponsors to support the race costs, saying she and her husband said they spent $40,000 since January, from the extra resources Clements needs, from competitive prices to competitive prices.

“I want people to see what this actually does,” she said. “And it's not cheap, and that's just how much of a commitment I and my husband have to put in this.”

Even during the race, there are extra factors that Klemenz needs to consider, such as monitoring water bacteria, making the swimming parts safer, such as Clements.

But Clements' approach to the challenge is to continue. “That's why I can push through when it gets harder during a race. I've always told myself, so I'll overcome the more difficult things.”

She believes it happens for a reason, she said.

“Now I'm literally realising that everything I went through has welcomed me to this point,” she said. “Good and bad, I'm not this resilient athlete. If I didn't do that, I would be so devoted and I wouldn't focus on my dreams.”

Hayden Dunbar is a storyteller reporter. Please email hayden.dunbar@knoxnews.com.

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