Ardell Lien

Ardell Lien is a man on a mission. The 70-year-old retired military officer is on a solo sailing adventure around the world in his 27-foot boat "Catalyst." Ardell, recipient of a heart-kidney transplant at Mayo Clinic in January 2003, is using his 27,000 mile, 15-month journey to help raise awareness of the critical need for organ donation.

"Sailing is my passion, but increasing the number of registered organ donors is my mission," he says.

Sailing around the world was a lifelong dream of Ardell's. But a few years ago, he thought his sailing days were behind him forever. Ardell and his wife Maureen had been living aboard their sailboat for six years when his health forced them to sell their boat and return to their hometown of Caledonia, Minn.

"I'd been diagnosed with congestive heart failure in 1991 but had very few symptoms until 1998," Ardell recalls. "By 2001, I was down to 150 pounds and everyone in town knew I was on my way out. I slept 18 hours a day and had to crawl up the stairs to my bedroom. I couldn't even help carry groceries into the house."

Ardell's first appointment at Mayo Clinic was in July 2002. By October, his health had deteriorated significantly and he was admitted to Saint Marys Hospital to await transplant. He had also sustained kidney damage due to insufficient blood supply to the organ and was told he would need both a heart and kidney transplant.

On Jan. 1, 2003, Ardell received the good news that a matching heart and kidney were available. Surgery began at 2:30 the next morning. That evening, Maureen visited Ardell in the recovery room and was surprised to find that his hands were warm.

"Because of my circulation problems, my hands hadn't been warm in years," explains Ardell. "The transplant made a difference immediately."

Ten days later, Ardell was released from Saint Marys Hospital. Transplant recipients are required to stay in Rochester for 90 days after surgery for follow-up appointments, so Ardell joined his wife at the Gift of Life Transplant House where she had stayed throughout his months of hospitalization.

"My recovery went very well," says Ardell. "I had no pain, and each day was better than the one before."

Ardell credits the staff at Mayo Clinic with helping aid his recovery.

"Everyone at Mayo, from the people who work the desks to the physicians, nurses and technicians, were excellent," says Ardell. "My primary physician, Dr. Brooks Edwards, was always there with support and encouragement. I am proud to call him my friend. And you couldn't find a finer group of professionals than the staff of Charlton 9 (the Transplant Center)."

Six months after his transplant, Ardell roofed his house. In the summer of 2004, he remodeled another home from roof to basement. And shortly after that, he hatched his plan for sailing around the world.

"I never thought I'd be doing this at 70, alone, in a very small boat," he says. "But that is what gets attention and will help get my message out. I hope my journey will show how one life was changed for the better because of a generous, heroic organ donor."

To learn more about Ardell Lien's journey and organ donation, visit Organ Donation for Life Inc.

11-03-06: Update

71-year old Heart & Kidney Recipient First to Solo Circumnavigate the Globe

Captain Ardell Lien has earned a place in the history books — he is the first heart and kidney recipient to sail around-the-world.

Lien launched his epic journey from San Diego harbor on May 7, 2005. His mission was to demonstrate that transplant patients can return to a normal life and to increase the number of registered organ donors. By the time he returned to the harbor, on October 19, 2006, the 71-year-old Minnesotan had sailed 31,310 nautical miles in 17 and a half months.

Lien worked with Lifesharing (link opens in new window), an organization that promotes organ and tissue donation, on publicity for his trip. In the 19 ports that he visited, he met with many organ and tissue recipients and was often featured on the local news.

Alone on the High Seas

Lien carried only three batteries on board, which ruled out refrigeration. His diet was limited mostly to canned and packaged food, including 40 pounds of pancakes and boxes of canned soup. Still, when he caught a large fish, he released it because he knew he couldn't eat it all at once.

By the end of the journey, the lone sailor learned to relax and catch more shut-eye.

"On the last couple of passages, I realized that, with the exception of the shipping lanes, there's very little traffic on that vast ocean," he says. "In the 43 days between the Galapagos Islands and Hawaii, I didn't see one ship."

In South Africa, Lien met up with a hero of his own — Sir Robin Knox-Johnston. In 1969, Knox-Johnston became the first person to sail non-stop around the world alone.

"We had lunch together and mostly talked about the difference between sailing then and now," says Lien. "It's much less daunting now because of the advances made in navigational equipment and access to weather maps."

Lien's cardiologist Brooks Edwards M.D., and his heart surgeon Richard Daly, M.D., who were on the dock in San Diego to welcome him home, admired his determination to take on his dream but gave the voyage the green light only on condition he return for his annual exam. His wife, Maureen, flew to three ports to see him and to deliver his anti-rejection medication. Lien also had a three-week respite when he flew home from Australia on vacation.

A Rich Reward

Lien notes that he had few bad days because he planned his journey to avoid major storm seasons. He considers his best days were any on land after endless days alone on the ocean. But the best of all came soon after his voyage ended as a result of the trip's publicity.

"I found out who my donor family was," says Lien. "My donor's mother read about me in her local paper. She only knew my first name, but she put two and two together and called a friend of hers who lives here in my hometown, Caledonia, and told her, 'that man took my son's heart around the world.' We had a very nice conversation and I look forward to getting to know her better and learning more about my donor."

Continuing the Odyssey

Though his round-the-world feat has been accomplished, Lien's mission continues. If he has his way, his solo circumnavigation is just the first leg of a longer odyssey to continue advocating for organ donation. He is already planning the next leg — raising funds and arranging to have berths dedicated to organ donation at boat shows.