Four separate cancer diagnoses that found him battling both Hodgkin's disease and acute lymphocytic leukemia; 54 total months of treatments including radiation, chemotherapy, and a bone marrow transplant; and finally, a life-giving heart transplant.
It is this health odyssey, begun in 1989, which has set the course for Kyle's .... more
Four separate cancer diagnoses that found him battling both Hodgkin's disease and acute lymphocytic leukemia; 54 total months of treatments including radiation, chemotherapy, and a bone marrow transplant; and finally, a life-giving heart transplant.
It is this health odyssey, begun in 1989, which has set the course for Kyle's life. A journey that took him across the finish line for the first time ever at the Nautica Malibu Triathlon on September 16, 2007 - just eleven months out from his heart transplant - and has taken him all the way to Kona, Hawaii, (twice) for the Ironman World Championship. On October 10, 2009, Kyle's 3rd heart transplant anniversary, he became the first heart transplant recipient ever to participate in Ironman's ultimate test of endurance.
In Kyle's many years as a cancer and heart patient he has stared down death and watched countless others do the same. He has experienced some of life's worst miseries, witnessed many of its greatest triumphs, and seen the magnificent strength and compassion that define the human spirit. And it is with that in mind that Kyle tackles his complimentary roles of writer and motivational speaker.
In Kyle's inspirational memoir, Heart of Iron: My Journey from Transplant Patient to Ironman Triathlete, Kyle paints the complete picture of what it's like to be diagnosed with cancer, battle it an agonizing four times, then find out that even though the lymphoma and leukemia have finally been beaten, his final health war can only be won with a heart transplant. He then takes us through that amazing day - October 10, 2006 - and all the way to his victory lap of ultimate survival, the Ironman.
Before the memoir, Kyle's writing background was primarily in sports. He spent five years as the Senior Writer for Fox Sports, before going it alone in the freelance world. During that time he's written for FoxSports.com and ESPN The Magazine and published a pair of sports related books, The Worst Call Ever - a compilation of the most infamous calls ever blown by referees, umpires, and other blind officials, and What Were They Thinking, a book that highlights the greatest sports blunders ever committed by coaches, general managers, players, and the media.
As a speaker Kyle has touched and inspired thousands with his story, and experienced what he considers to be his greatest joy. While speaking to a group of 400 runners the night before they were to tackle the 2002 Santa Barbara Half-Marathon, Kyle met Carrie Riordan. Two and a half years later the couple was married on ABC-TV's "Extreme Makeover: Wedding Edition" at The City of Hope National Medical Center - the site of Kyle's stem cell transplant in 1995.
Kyle also speaks frequently on behalf of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (he was named the LLS Greater Los Angeles Man of the Year for 2011) and is a vocal advocate for the gift of organ donation, believing that the continued fight on behalf of the stricken is the covenant that all survivors keep with those that have fallen. This belief, and the unqualified joy that each day of life brings to those who live on, are the beacons that continue to guide him.