Thunder Bay Fire Fighter Endures Remarkable Antarctic Climb! January 5, 2007 – Dale Shippam, an IAFF member from Thunder Bay, ON Local 193 who received a heart transplant eight years ago has accomplished a remarkable feat of physical endurance. He competed as part of a team of climbers who traveled to Antarctica in late 2006 to climb the 16,000-foot Mt. Vinson Massif, the eighth highest peak in the world.
While the team fell just short of reaching the summit, members succeeded in their primary goal to raise awareness about organ donation and heart disease and its devastating effects. The team also raised nearly $1 million for heart disease research.
Climbing at extreme altitudes – where oxygen levels are low – requires maximum physical fitness. Shippam’s status as a heart transplant recipient made his feat that much more remarkable, and added to the extremely positive image of professional fire fighters among Canadians.
Near the end of the climb, Shippam was the only member of the team who was fit enough to reach the summit. With only 200 metres to go and with the flag in sight, Shippam could have continued – but in a dramatic twist of irony, neither of the two doctors with him had high enough oxygen saturation levels to accompany him.
Shippam, 54, the only active fire fighter in Canada who is also a heart recipient, arrived home to a hero’s welcome in Thunder Bay on Christmas Day. IAFF Local 193, the Thunder Bay Professional Fire Fighters Association, was among the groups and individuals who welcomed him home.
“We are proud to have Dale as one of us, and we join with him in celebrating this event,” Local 193 President Les Newman says. “Even before his transplant, Dale was a man with drive, dedication and heart…he epitomizes what it means to be a fire fighter.”
Newman is also extremely proud that 30 members of Local 193 greeted Shippam at the city’s airport on Christmas Day. “He definitely showcased us and our job.”
Thunder Bay Mayor Lynn Peterson told those gathered at his return that the entire city was proud of Shippam’s achievements. “Dale is an outstanding role model. His strength and determination in the face of challenges, in both his personal and professional life, make him a great asset to our city.”
The team, led by Dr. Heather Ross, medical director of the Heart Failure & Cardiac Transplant Program at Toronto General Hospital, braved temperatures of -50C (-58F) during the climb.
In an entry posted on her online journal December 16 after a full day of climbing, Dr. Ross expressed her amazement at Shippam’s condition. “Dale is doing great. His oxygen saturation is 97 percent, his heart rate around 100 -- or normal for a heart transplant recipient,” she wrote. “…his fitness is remarkable, let alone for a transplant patient. I am in awe.”
The Ontario Trillium Gift of Life Network reports that there are currently 1,737 patients in Ontario awaiting heart transplants, including 1,100 men, 637 women and 73 children.
For more information about the climb, visit http://testyourlimits.livejournal.com/. |
