Castleblayney man and transplant recipient Martin Malinowski will be tackling the Ring of Kerry this weekend.
Martin was Ireland's first ever heart and liver transplant recipient and underwent the surgery in 2022.
He is now taking on the 170km cycle around the circular Ring of Kerry Route to raise funds for the Irish Kidney Association. Martin, who is originally from Poland but has lived in Ireland for 13 years, was diagnosed in early 2019 with cirrhosis of the liver, due to Hepatitis C.
The cirrhosis subsequently caused significant strain to his heart and Martin went on to develop cardiomyopathy, which led to the chambers of his heart enlarging and being unable to pump blood efficiently. 2 years on, Martin has recovered well and will be taking on the Ring of Kerry this Saturday, with some cyclists getting under way at 6am.
