Stronger than I've ever been: A heart transplant athlete

The heart transplant survivor Kelly Perkins has added another first to her long string of mountaineering feats since getting a new heart 13 years ago – a dangerous climb up a sheer, 2,000-foot face of Half Dome in Yosemite National Park.

Kelly, age 46, and her husband, led by guide Scott Stowe, began the climb on Thursday and reached the top of the 8,842 foot high dome early on Saturday afternoon.

"I feel great," she said by phone from the top of Half Dome. "Physically, I feel I'm stronger than I've ever been."

Advice to transplant patients: Live your life as fully as Kelly.

Read another superstar athlete’s story.

Thanks to the NY Times for publishing the source article today.