One of my patients from Port Elizabeth blessed me with a very generous gift in December. As always we are very busy towards the end of the year leading up to the December holiday period. He was very thankful for that we accommodated him on short notice to fit him in to have his consultation with me and the necessary knee surgery before the holiday. He would therefore still have the prospects of competing in the Ironman race in Port Elizabeth in April 2016.
He was also aware that I had previously taken part in this race. He himself is a superb athlete and has represented South Africa in his age group at the Ironman World Championships in Kona, Hawaii, a number of times. This is an extremely hard race: after swimming the 3.5km the 180km cycle and 42km run pass through the lava fields of Hawaii. The route is brutal and the weather conditions extremely hot.
It is often the dream for many Ironman competitors to have the honour of racing this epic event alongside the best Ironman racers in the world. I was therefore over the moon when he presented me with a swim cap from Kona as a gift. It is always a delight when receiving a gift from a patient no matter how small. From one Ironman to another is as good as it gets!