Name: Man running NYC Marathon two years after getting heart transplant
Uploaded: 2025-10-31T14:23:23.129Z
Duration: 4 min 51 s
Description: Derek Lindstrom is set to run the New York City Marathon two years after getting a heart transplant. Lindstrom joined CBS News with Harboring Hearts CEO Erin Taylor with more on their journey.

Derek Lindstrom is set to run the New York City Marathon two years after getting a heart transplant. Lindstrom joined CBS News with Harboring Hearts CEO Erin Taylor with more on their journey.

New York

Derek Lindstrom, an experienced marathon runner, will participate in the New York City Marathon less than two years after receiving a heart transplant. Lindstrom, who has completed 117 marathons, is running to support Harboring Hearts, a nonprofit that provides emergency financial assistance to cardiac surgery and transplant patients and their families.

This will be Lindstrom's third marathon since his transplant. Harboring Hearts is also represented by five other runners, including healthcare professionals and individuals running in honor of loved ones. The organization aims to raise funds and awareness for families facing medical challenges related to heart conditions.

Man running NYC Marathon two years after getting heart transplant

Well, this weekend, more than 50,000 runners will race across New York City's five boroughs for the world's largest marathon. And for one man, it's not just about crossing the finish line. Derek Lindstrom is an avid runner, completing 117 marathons in his life so far. You heard that number right. Seven years ago, though, he was diagnosed with congestive heart failure. He received a heart transplant in 2023, and now he's about to run the New York City Marathon. Derek joins us now, along with Erin Taylor. She's the CEO of Harboring Hearts, a nonprofit that supports cardiac surgery and transplant patients. Derek is running for them on Sunday. Derek and Erin, a warm welcome to you both. Derek, let's start with you and your story and what running this weekend's marathon means to you. I gotta tell you, I can't imagine running for anybody else. Harboring Hearts is a wonderful organization and to be able to be in New York City, less than two years post-heart transplant means everything to me. And Erin, I'm wondering if you can tell us about the mission of Harboring Hearts and if you recommend patients or clients run marathons after getting a brand new, what do they call it, clicker? So our mission is to provide emergency financial support to patients and families who are undergoing cardiac surgery or organ transplant. And so we help them meet their essential needs by providing that support for rent, mortgage assistance, utilities, food, transportation. We provide a lot of hospital, I mean, hotel stays for people so they can be near their loved ones while they're either preparing for a transplant or recovering. I can't make a recommendation on whether or not it's a good idea to run the marathon. I can say that Derek's doing a great job and we're very happy to have him on our team. We're just looking at footage of when they were painting the finish line there at Central Park a few days ago. I visited that, it got me very excited. Derek, this will be your third marathon since your transplant. And I'm sure you've heard people that are just stunned that you run a marathon in general. I tell people it's more mental than physical, but how did having this transplant change your training and what kind of takeaways can our viewers receive from that? I think biggest takeaway for me was how much slower I was post transplant. I honestly thought that after transplant, I'd be able to just go out and run. You and I can go out for a 10 mile run and that's not how it was. And it's been a tough battle, but I was able, I did a 50K just eight months after transplant, first marathon in 11 months and New York City would be marathon number three, but it doesn't come easy. But I'd like to think I do everything right in the way of following what the doctors tell me to do, what my team tells me to do. And when it's time to take a day off, I take a day off. And when it's time to get out there and pound, that's what I do. And on those crazy long distances, Derek, what are you thinking to keep going? It's what I enjoy doing. It's what I've always done. I ran my first marathon in 1981. It's just what I do. And I can't imagine being anyplace else this Sunday than in New York City. Yeah, and the crowds are amazing. They'll be cheering you along and myself as well and the tens of thousands of others. Erin, who else do you have running Sunday with harboring hearts? So we have six runners representing us on Sunday. We received many, many applications for the bibs that we received. And we selected our runners based on their affinity to our mission. So obviously Derek was a perfect fit for that. We also have a social worker who works in the pediatric liver transplant unit. We have an emergency room nurse. We have an individual who's running in honor of his father, who is a cardiac surgery patient. And again, we're just so happy to have, we're fortunate to have this incredible group of people supporting our work and bringing awareness to what we do and helping us raise funds that we can then distribute to families who are in need. Yeah, and it's the best part about the marathon. There are so many inspiring stories. We are out of time, Erin, but when will you be running your first marathon? Oh, goodness. I don't know, I'll think about it. Derek's inspiring me. So we'll see, I'll check back in with you in a few months. If he can do it, if I can do it, you can do it. Erin and Derek, great to have you both. A very inspiring story and best of luck on Sunday.

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