A story about a man who lost his heart. And what he gained in its place. On this episode, we meet Randy Shepherd, one very unlikely runner. Randy is 42 now, and never enjoyed running very much. He was more of a team sports guy. But beyond that, he had a rock-solid excuse for staying on the couch. Back when he was in his 30s, Shepherd’s already compromised heart rapidly began to fail. There was no time to match him with a transplant donor. Certain that Shepherd could die at any moment, surgeons removed his heart and replaced it with a machine called a total artificial heart. Right out of the surgery, he faced difficult questions. What happens when you lose such an essential part of yourself? What can you physically do (and not do) when a machine powers your body? His choice ultimately transformed his life.

Visit the show page here for pictures of Randy in action.

Episode Credits: Host: David Weinberg

Producers: Rachel Swaby, Audrey Quinn, Christine Fennessy

Editing help: Brian Dalek, Chris Kraft, Sylvia Ryerson

Theme music: Danny Cocke

Human Race editor in chief: David Willey

Human Race is a proud part of Panoply.

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