Estimated read time: 4-5 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
SALT LAKE CITY -- Two years ago, if you told Thom Stevenson, 60, of Modesto, Calif., he would be running a triathlon on June 18, 2011, he would have laughed in your face.
Stevenson suffered from kidney failure as a direct result of his Type 2 diabetes. Though his prognosis was bleak, his twin brother Chris, of Huntsville, Utah, decided to become a candidate for a kidney transplant.
Thom and Chris come from a family where diabetes is genetic.
“I have to admit,” Thom said, “if I had taken care of myself earlier on I would not have had all the health complications to deal with.”
Despite this, Thom has taken his physical problems in stride. Because of his diabetes, he is legally blind in one eye and can only see outlines and forms in the other eye. He also underwent weeks of dialysis before he was able to receive a kidney.
“I always tell people that I loved dialysis because the alternative wasn’t something I wanted,” he said.
The search for a donor
The journey to find a match was a long process, however.
While the hospital was testing Thom’s friends and family for a kidney match, he decided to follow the steps of his brother Chris and undergo gastric bypass surgery — a procedure commonly done to help with his obesity. Chris’ own gastric surgery had cured his diabetes. Though not curing all of Thom’s health issues, the weight loss certainly helped prepare him for his transplant.
After Chris was found to be a match for a transplant, the surgeon recommended DNA testing for the brothers. It proved Chris was Thom’s identical twin, not his fraternal twin as the brothers had thought all of their lives.
“This was a huge relief," Thom said. "Because of this news I would not have to suffer the side effects of immunosuppressive drugs after the surgery.”
It is protocol to take a kidney from a person who has diabetes. However, after multiple tests, Chris’s kidney was found to be in top shape. Doctors decided to pursue the transplant.
Completing this race shows that diabetics do not have to be trapped in their bodies, pinned down because of their disease. It doesn't have to be that way.
–Chris Stevenson
In June of 2010, Chris flew from Utah to California to have the surgery. Within a matter of days, both brothers were on their feet. They credit their wives for the quick recovery.
“This whole process was a team effort,” said Thom. “I would not be anywhere without the support of my wife Annette and Chris’s wife Mavis.”
Because doctors saw no reason to remove Thom’s kidneys, he now has three. Friends and family affectionately call him 3K Thom and his brother 1K Chris.
“Chris is four minutes older than I am, so now I can officially say I am three times better than Chris,” Thom joked.
A fitting celebration
In celebration of the one-year anniversary of the transplant, Chris and Thom completed a sprint triathlon. After being rejected for several triathlons for liability reasons, the brothers finally found an event in Pleasanton, Calif., called “Tri For Fun.”
The triathlon included a 400-yard swim, an 11-mile bike ride and a three-mile run.
In order to prepare for the event, the brothers trained in their respective states, often spending hours at the gym or walking for several hours around their neighborhoods.
Because of his lack of vision Thom had to be escorted by his brother for most of the race, and the duo rode a tandem bike for the bicycling portion.
Though not completing the race in Olympic time, the brothers finished the race, which is all that mattered.
“Completing this race shows that diabetics do not have to be trapped in their bodies, pinned down because of their disease,” Chris said. “It doesn’t have to be that way.”
The brothers are quick to emphasize that beating diabetes does not happen overnight, but they hope their example shows that quality of life can be improved significantly if the proper steps are taken to overcome the disease.
The Stevenson family hopes to make the “Tri For Fun” triathlon a family tradition.
“My brother Thom was near death,” Chris said. “He looked horrible while he was undergoing his health challenges. To see him accomplish this triathlon was a landmark accomplishment for him. I am absolutely elated for him.”
Shelby Scoffield is a graduate of Brigham Young University and a graduate student at California State University, Stanislaus.
