Castlegar’s Rob Nutter is a new man after heart and kidney transplant at St. Paul's Hospital
Rob Nutter was hot and sweaty, but he felt fantastic.
It was shortly before noon on Saturday and the 56-year-old had just spent more than two-and-a-half hours hiking up the gruelling Grouse Grind. As he stood with his family at the top of Grouse Mountain under a light drizzle, he reflected on what he had accomplished.
“It’s just pretty rewarding, I’m pretty happy,” Nutter said. “It’s bringing closure to my whole ordeal.”
Nutter’s health issues began in 1998, when he was diagnosed with a heart disease called presumed post-viral dilated cardiomyopathy. Nutter relied on an implanted defibrillator for a number of years to deal with irregular heartbeats. Two years ago he had a ventricular assist device, which helped his damaged heart pump blood, implanted while he awaited a heart transplant. He also went into renal failure because of his heart condition and required dialysis a few times a week.
Jennifer Saltman Reports
