He lost 45 kg and conquered a mountain with a transplanted heart: the incredible story of Valentin Tkachev

At least once in our lives, each of us has put something off, found excuses not to go to the gym, postponed a meeting with friends, or simply been too lazy to go out. In the fall of 2022, Valentin Tkachev from the Moscow region received a heart transplant. The difficult operation was the moment when Valentin realized that he could not put it off for later.

After the transplant, the man took part in more than 10 different marathons, and two months ago he became the first athlete with a donor heart to conquer Mount Beshtau. Valentin proved by personal example that nothing is impossible if you have the desire and ambition to overcome yourself. He told his story to “Championship”.

When you only have the strength to wake up

My quality of life before the heart transplant was not the highest: a series of surgeries, problems with blood pressure and blood vessels. When the coronavirus pandemic started, I became very ill. The doctors miraculously saved me. Then I faced a cytokine storm (an aggressive immune reaction of the body to viral infection and medicines, during which the correct work of the immune system is disrupted. – Note: “Championship”).

I started having heart problems a long time ago, but they became especially evident in 2018. It was painful sensations in the chest, my blood pressure was skyrocketing. Because of this, they did not even want to take me into the army, but I insisted and still gave duty to the motherland. Closer to 2019, I began to notice that I only had enough strength to wake up and have breakfast. Then I felt sleepy.

Imagine, a healthy person’s heart pumps 6 liters of blood per minute. Mine only pumped 500 milliliters. Because of this there was an acute shortage of oxygen and useful elements, which are so necessary for the work of the whole organism.

I went to work, walked, met with friends, but I did it with great difficulty. For example, I was invited to kebabs, I came, but right at the table I could fall asleep, because I had no strength. At the same time I got very healthy. My maximum weight was 116 kg. Many factors contributed to this: I did not follow the diet, the body did not work properly and so on.

The surgery was the impetus to start the change

The surgery was the exact point when it was necessary to make a decision about how to live further. After all, it seemed that life was completely messed up – the main motor wasn’t working. Strange as it may seem, I didn’t follow the diet, but before the operation I practiced sports to the last: kickboxing, gym. At that time I weighed 115 kg. The only thing I had to give up was the treadmill, because my heart stopped pumping. Even my heart rate was dropping to 30-40.

I really regret not listening to the doctors about diet and lifestyle. They tried to keep me on my native heart as long as possible, but alas, I did not realize the globality of the whole problem.

I have been seeing the Shumakov Institute for a long time, but I could not think that there would really be a transplant. I did not even know the word. Then I completely revised my views on life, including a radical change of diet. Now even my family has a hard time with it, as I have everything strictly, and every calorie is prescribed in the plan almost by the minute. For example, I gave up sweets and salt.

I started exercising completely out of the blue. In the fall of 2023, after I was discharged from the hospital, I started dieting. I remember when I got home, I asked to boil some chicken for me – I really wanted it. I noticed that I even missed eating, but I was still very afraid of harming my body, so I tried to eat as simply and correctly as possible.

The path in sports began largely thanks to my son. I took him to extra classes and, in order not to sit idle for an hour while waiting, I just walked around the building where my son was practicing. I counted everything: steps, minutes, time traveled, looked at calories. At first I walked slowly, and then I started to increase the load, gradually walking faster and faster.

My first run happened in the town of Stupino, when I was late for the train. At that time it was about three months after the operation. I saw that it was already approaching the station, and I ran to be on time. Yes, there was shortness of breath, but then I had great pleasure kicking a ball with my son, running 10, 20, 30 meters, taking a dumbbell from a friend. It’s hard, but slowly I began to get used to it.

All loads, of course, were under strict supervision of doctors. Every three months I go for consultations, constantly do ultrasound, ECG, take tests. I’m in touch with all the doctors.

Before and after a heart transplant are two different lives. You start to remember what you were like, and you see the incredible energy that comes into you. You become a different person. It’s still a mystery to me why people with a healthy heart lie on the couch.

“Dad, you don’t have to be afraid…”

From the beginning, I have had the support of my family. Thanks to this situation, I learned who is who really is. As a result, only really close people were by my side in a difficult moment.

After I was discharged from the hospital, for the first time I had a rope tied to my bed, by which I climbed up. My son was seven years old at the time. He saw how hard it was for me. I remember him coming up to me and saying: “Daddy, don’t be afraid, you won’t die. If you feel bad, I will give my heart and you will live.

Valentin Tkachev with his wife and son

When I remember this, tears come to my eyes every time. Just imagine how a child who doesn’t understand anything yet could say such a thing. I’ve come a very hard way. It’s a terrible disease.

It’s important to use all the power of the products

I lost weight on my own, without the help of specialists. Of course, I consulted with doctors about diet and training. I listened very carefully to the recommendations and removed everything that was forbidden. In total, I managed to lose 45 kg.

During the first six months I usually had 0.5% cottage cheese, 10% sour cream (about 100 g) and a cup of green tea for breakfast. For lunch I had soup on water with potatoes, rice and onions. For dinner I ate stewed chicken, rice or buckwheat. Sometimes I allowed myself boiled fish, beef, turkey. Besides, every day I ate one green apple, sometimes strawberries and other berries.

After giving up sugar and salt, I began to vividly feel the flavor of every fruit and vegetable. Now, when I eat a tomato or cucumber, I realize how delicious it is without all those additives.

The doctors were supportive of my endeavor. After the ICU, they told me that it was imperative that I move and lose weight. I needed to let my new heart know that I was now living a different life. Since I have no nerve endings in it, when I start working out at the gym, it doesn’t realize it for the first few minutes. During a workout, blood vessels dilate, which causes a blood ejection fraction. This builds up the heart rate. I don’t feel my heart, I don’t feel it hurting or beating. It’s about controlling it. To harness its power.

For a long time now, I’ve been working out three times a week. On Mondays I work on my back and triceps, on Wednesdays I work on my chest and biceps, and on Fridays I work on my legs and shoulders. I make sure to include cardio exercises in every workout. Most often it is jogging for 2, 5, 10 kilometers. The final plan depends on how I feel.

The diet is also based on the training regimen. Gradually my menu became more diverse. Now I eat various soups, lean meat, fish, vegetables and fruits. I try to cook without oil. Before the gym I always eat protein and drink a carbohydrate shake.

Carbohydrate cocktail recipe by Valentin Tkachev

Grind in a blender 100 g of hercules to the state of flour. Add 300 g of cottage cheese, 1 banana and 400 ml of milk. Mix everything. The cocktail should be drunk two hours before training. Such a useful and tasty drink helps to fill with energy and lay out in the hall to the full.

Sport gave me the opportunity to become a motivator

Thanks to sports in my life appeared a strict discipline. I clearly know that I have to go to the gym on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Working out is not a compulsion for me, but a pleasure. Physical activity really gives me pleasure. When I get to the gym, the stadium, or even just into the woods for a run, I know I’m going to feel great. I completely switch gears and get into another world.

I also do yoga. I have a wonderful trainer, her name is Saniya. Thanks to her I got rid of back pain, hernias and other problems. With the help of yoga I worked those muscle groups that were not used. I always say that in yoga you work more actively than in the gym.

Now I can be a motivator for people who find themselves in a similar situation. That being said, I always make it clear that any exercise and diet must be approved by a doctor. My story is just an example of how things can be changed.

I need to fight with myself

There are many people I know who have had a heart, kidney or other organ transplant. We all socialize well and share each other’s sporting interests. One day the topic of trailrunning came up in our circles. (a sport discipline that involves running on natural terrain at a free pace or as part of a competition. – Note: “Championship”). We decided to try to climb Beshtau. We had with us a transplant doctor who deals with transplants at the Shumakov Institute.

It was not scary, but interesting. It was the second time I had come to the Mineralnye Vody area, but I had never come so close to Beshtau. I rented an apartment near the mountain and tried to look at it, to understand how it is possible to climb this peak. It was so high that I didn’t see a single path on it. And on the day of the race we were met with a flat path right at the start. Some time before we left, my coach and I emphasized pumping my legs. I could run, but I was going to have to climb.

I didn’t want to do it slowly. I need to fight with myself. I need to be challenged, because the most interesting thing is to overcome yourself.

I made the first ascent to the “Goat Rocks” (one of the peaks of Beshtau. – “Championship” note ), where you have to throw Nordic poles and climb on bare rocks, check in, and then run to the Big Tau. There are rocks on the left and a cliff on the right. Endless uphill climb, continuous running… And all this time you look at Beshtau and think that you are still standing at the bottom.

At the top of the mountain the surgeon was waiting for me. When I saw him, I immediately hugged him. I was incredibly happy to see him. Then I recorded a video in which I addressed with words of gratitude to the doctors who saved my life. They gave me a chance for the future.

I’ll be forever grateful to the doctors. We are one big family. When I come to the Shumakov Institute, I do not feel that I am in the hospital. It’s home for me.

A moment of unity with nature

The descent was much harder than the ascent. Many people had to just roll down because the path was too steep. I was lucky not to fall. I can’t remember how long it took to get down, but I managed. Then I felt that I was alone with nature, because I only met other people occasionally.

I said to myself: “This is where your struggle with yourself begins. There were still 7 kilometers to run. I had to do it. Time seemed to stop and the distance on the tracker didn’t get smaller. Gradually I started to meet volunteers and at the finish line I was greeted with applause. I was the only person with a transplanted heart without nerve endings who dared to make such a climb. By the way, I was not the last one to arrive. I was followed by 50 other fully healthy people.

The goal is not to stop

I have a lot of plans. In June I will run a 20 km race in Voronezh, in Bely Kolodets Park. This is the sixth Crazy Owl 50 2024 White Well overnight ultramarathon. Fields, swamps, reeds – there is a lot to overcome. This time I will have to bring a flashlight and my guardian angel will accompany me.

I have always been a religious person, so every time I am asked a question about who I run with, I answer: “God is always with me”.

One of my main goals for the next two years is to climb Elbrus. I hope to do it with an experienced team. This challenge will take a few days and will not be easy, but if the doctors give the okay, I am ready to conquer this peak. By the end of 2024, I will have 11-12 more marathons, races and other similar events to participate in.

The advice to anyone who is about to start losing weight but can’t is simple. It’s important to really genuinely want to, because without the desire to start, you can’t start. When you crave something, you won’t look for excuses and postpone your workouts until Monday. You can only get started if you disconnect from your past life and set yourself up for change. I think you need to be your own main motivation, set goals and work for the future.

The wall should not be bypassed, but broken!

Believe me, it’s great to get better every day, to see progress and feel the result. If you don’t do anything today, you’ll still be standing at the same point tomorrow. It’s scary when a year goes by and you still haven’t made a shift. Fighting yourself and your laziness is not easy, but it’s worth it.

It’s also a great motivator to watch the success of others. I’m a big fan of UFC, martial arts, and my idol is Khabib Nurmagomedov. I watched every fight of his and realized that I also want and can achieve something. I also follow Islam Makhachev, Zubaira Tukhugov. I watched Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov with great interest.

And now, when I watch clips of their training in the mountains, I can say that I understand how much strength and perseverance it takes to endure. Of course, I have other opportunities, and I am too far away from their level, but I am sincerely rooting for them. I have a big dream: I really want to run in the mountains someday and train with these incredible people.

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