Cycling to Ease PH

o Cycling

o To

o Ease

o Pulmonary

o Hypertension

In 2015 I was diagnosed with CTEPH (Chronic Thrombo Embolic Pulmonary Hypertension).  Whilst not strictly a heart condition, I was told by my cardiologist that, without treatment, my heart would fail within 5 – 10 years due to the effort of pushing blood into the lungs against double the normal pressure in the pulmonary arteries.

CTEPH is form of Pulmonary Hypertension (PH) caused by old, organized blood clots in the lungs (pulmonary emboli).  Untreated, survivability is poor, with patients living an average of only 2.8 years after diagnosis.

I was unable to take medication for the condition due to interactions with other prescribed medications, but I was also one of the lucky few that had an operable form of the condition.

So at the start of June 2015, I underwent a PEA operation (Pulmonary Endarterectomy) at the Alfred in Melbourne, one of only two or three places that do this complex procedure in Australia. My surgeon Professor McGiffin started a PEA program at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) in the US and started the program at the Alfred. 

The whole operation took about 7hrs, but thankfully I didn’t know anything about it! The hardest thing was leaving my wife to go into theatre.

The procedure and initial recovery all went better than expected. Having hopefully solved the problem for good I was back home in a couple of weeks. Recovery is going well, but remains a constant battle.


At the airport waiting to fly home.

Whilst the condition is rare, misdiagnosis is happening too often.  To help combat this I have decided to organise a charity ride to document my journey back to full fitness.  I hope to show people what is possible after major illness and heart surgery and to help raise awareness and maybe some much needed funds for more education about this condition and for the Cardiac Unit at the Alfred where I underwent my treatment.

Next year I plan to ride from Flinders Medical Centre in Adelaide to the Alfred in Melbourne, via various stops along the way hoping to spread awareness at a few regional hospitals as I go.



Any donations will go towards the costs involved in the trip and also hopefully enough to make donation to the Alfred Foundation in support of the Cardiac Unit.

Anyone interested in sponsorship of any kind, in terms of logistics, equipment, food, accommodation or anything that could go towards allowing this to go ahead can contact me directly through this site.

You can keep up to date with my progress through the blog here

With early, accurate diagnosis CTEPH patients can live longer, better lives, but greater awareness is key.  Any help, however small would be appreciated.  The Cycle to Ease Pulmonary Hypertension aims to help other people through early detection, accurate diagnosis and successful treatment so we can help to keep them healthy and improve their quality of life now and into the future.

Any help, however small would be appreciated to help others in the future that hopefully will live with the correct and timely diagnosis and successful treatment.