Christine Sabin

Heart failure

A long and winding road

Once an avid triathlete and social worker, Christine went from a diagnosis of cardiac sarcoidosis and heart failure to a life-saving heart transplant. She now embraces new challenges like the Transplant Games, showing how through it all she continues to maintain her active spirit.

“I grew up in the Waikato before moving to Wellsford, where I raised five children. Later, we moved down to Auckland, where I trained to become a social worker. My life was busy, not only with work but also with triathlons. I took on an Ironman, completed the Coast to Coast three times, and biked across Europe with friends. 

“It was after all of that when the diagnosis of heart failure came. It was weird because I had been active for years, but gradually, I noticed that I was slowing down. I put it down to getting older, so I pushed myself harder, training more and more.” 

Getting to the heart of it

“I thought I was having asthma attacks, and the doctors would prescribe prednisone, which helped for a bit before things worsened again. Eventually, after some X-rays and a series of tests, they thought it could be cardiac sarcoidosis. 

“And then I had about four phone calls in a day. Everyone was calling me, but by then I'd already checked into hospital because I was so sick. 

“I had to do a few more tests, and then I had to have a biopsy, which confirmed the diagnosis. And after that, it was two or three months later when then they decided to put a pacemaker in. 

“At first, I didn’t realise how serious my condition was. I went back to work, resumed my daily life, and just kept going. I didn’t even know what an ejection fraction of 14 meant at the time. As the years passed and my pacemaker neared the end of its lifespan, I hoped I’d get a heart transplant before needing a new pacemaker. Thankfully, I did.

“The transplant was a game-changer, but I wasn’t really sure if I could go back to my active lifestyle. I was nervous about pushing myself again. It took me a while to regain my confidence, but I set a goal to walk 11 kilometres over the Harbour Bridge. It was tough, and when I expressed my frustration to my doctor that I struggled and was slow, he reassured me by saying that even without heart problems, only 10% of the population can walk 10 kilometres. That made me feel better.”

Support and advice

“Before I got sick, I was actually a social worker, so I was the one helping with the social and emotional wellbeing of people who had experienced heart events. So, it was a bit ironic to find myself on the other side, needing the support I used to give. But I was lucky to have friends to talk to, and I did a lot of reading. I also had a great heart failure nurse who kept an eye on me and answered my questions, and my GP, who’s been with me for over 20 years, was always there to help with anything. I’d just text and ask a few questions and then get booked into the clinic to go through it all. It’s often good to just ask other people if you’re not sure about something.

“I’ve always tried to stay as independent as possible, and when I couldn’t join my friends on cycling trips, I had to change tack a little. I bought a camper van, put an electric bike in the back, and still went on trips, keeping up with them on my E-bike. I also joined a group called Café Cruisers, who mainly ride E-bikes. They were a lifesaver, showing me that I could still do things in a group, just in a different way.”

Not slowing down

“I retired a couple of years before turning 65, but I’ve found new ways to enjoy my life, and I’ve set new goals for myself. One of them is participating in the Transplant Games, where I’ve decided to take on the triathlon. Learning to swim, bike, and run all over again has been hard, but I’m getting there.

“My big goal for next year is to bike the Land’s End to John o’ Groats route—1,000 miles from the bottom of Britain to the top. I biked across Europe on my Brompton about ten years ago, and I’ve always wanted to do it again. I wasn’t fit enough to do it this year, but I’m keen to do it next year. I’ll take my time, doing it over a month, and I plan to raise money for charity along the way.

“I’m also planning to spend more time with my family, especially now that I’ve become a great-grandmother. And I’m so grateful that I’m still around for that, it really means a lot.”