Meet Giselle Distad, a graphic designer and outdoor enthusiast originally from Iowa, now living in Oregon. Giselle shares her inspiring story of returning to cycling after donating a kidney to her father. After completing surgery, Giselle shares about her recovery journey getting back on the bike including the importance of listening to your body and the physical and emotional challenges with life-changing experiences as a donor and recipient. At the six-week mark, Giselle reached a turning point in recovery. She offers heartfelt encouragement to anyone considering kidney donation that it may seem daunting but to listen to your body and not shy away from the opportunity to make a significant impact in someone else’s life.
Transcript
Kira Corbett – Dirty Freehub 0:20
Joining us today is Giselle Distad. Giselle cycles to combine the love of getting outside art and friendship all in the form of cycling. In today’s episode, Giselle shares about her journey getting back on the bike after donating her kidney to her father.
Giselle Distad – Gravel Cyclist 0:35
I’m happy to be here.
Kira Corbett – Dirty Freehub 0:36
For joining us.
Giselle Distad – Gravel Cyclist 0:38
And it’s so nice to meet you.
Kira Corbett – Dirty Freehub 0:39
Yeah. Good to meet you, too. Okay, let’s jump into it. So what is unique about the challenge that you’ve been facing in cycling?
Giselle Distad – Gravel Cyclist 0:45
Yeah. So in August, I donate a kidney to my dad. the recovery has been good. It was definitely a lot longer than I anticipated, but that’s totally fine. I’m happy to have done it, and it has given me the time to slow down and listen to my body during this recovery period.
Kira Corbett – Dirty Freehub 1:02
Yeah, I bet. If you don’t mind sharing, like what has a similar recovery been looking like?
Giselle Distad – Gravel Cyclist 1:07
Yeah, it’s. The first six weeks were terrible. That was. I could barely walk. It was just like walks every day. Try to get some exercise. I struggled a lot with fatigue and just, like, nausea and pain, like soreness from where my incisions are in my abdomen area. But every day I got better. And then people kept telling me at the six week mark, they’ll turn a corner. And I did for sure. Turn a corner? Yeah. It’s just been going uphill from there and I’ve been getting back on my bike. I’ve been going back into my job, doing my normal routine. So all in all, to get an organ removed. Not that bad, but the first six weeks were pretty bad. But overall, it’s crazy that it’s only like six weeks that I had or the normal.
Kira Corbett – Dirty Freehub 1:57
That’s wild. Yeah, I can imagine getting an organ removed like that.
Giselle Distad – Gravel Cyclist 2:01
Yeah, it was long while it was happening, But now even. It hasn’t even been that long since then. But looking back at it, I’m like, Wow, I feel pretty much 100% now.
Kira Corbett – Dirty Freehub 2:10
Wow. That’s amazing. Glad your recovery is going well. Yeah. What inspired you to get on riding? Get back into. Into cycling?
Giselle Distad – Gravel Cyclist 2:19
Yeah, I my main thing is I just love to be outside. I like doing multiple activities at once, so I like it being outside, getting exercise, being with my friends, doing art, and I can do all those together if I go biking.
Kira Corbett – Dirty Freehub 2:33
Mm hmm.
Giselle Distad – Gravel Cyclist 2:34
So I just love to be outside. I live here in central Oregon and I think every single day I say I love living here because there’s just so much to do. There’s endless dirt roads, gravel roads, such good networks of singletrack There’s lots of places to explore. The humidity’s low, the sun is warm, the smell of the universe is great. So it’s just it’s really nice to be outside. And that’s the main thing that pushes me to go biking specifically is I just want to be outside and I can do that and get exercise and hang out with friends and maybe remarks with. Additionally, what inspires me, especially during my recovery, is my dad. He has been an avid cyclist his whole life and he bike to work every day and he just since his kidney failure, he hasn’t been able to do the things that he wants to do. So every time I go out and do something, I think about him and the people in my life that are going through something that they can’t go do, you know, biking or whatever their activity is that they like to do. And so that just like pushes me to go do more.
Kira Corbett – Dirty Freehub 3:42
That’s so cool. What are some things that people may not understand about removing a whole organ?
Giselle Distad – Gravel Cyclist 3:47
Can you? Donation is really funny. On top of missing an entire organ, there are aspects of my life and my diet that will forever be changed, which they’re not that crazy, but it’s definitely something I have to pay attention to, especially as I’m getting back into cycling. In the short term, my abs are really weak and so I’m at risk for hernia, so I just have to be careful with that and take it easy and not push too hard. But more importantly, in the long term, I have to pay attention to my salt intake. Too much salt can lead to chronic kidney disease, and since I have one kidney, I have to be careful with that. And so I have to find a balance of electrolytes based on my rides, which is kind of hard because I don’t want to overdo it on my salt, which honestly, anybody shouldn’t be overdoing it on their salt. But for me, it can have more of a lifelong impact. But I think the biggest thing is water intake. I was never really a water drinker before this, and now even on a regular day, I have to drink three liters of water, which is a lot of water.
Kira Corbett – Dirty Freehub 4:44
Wow.
Giselle Distad – Gravel Cyclist 4:45
But if I’m exercising, I have to be drinking even more than that. So I have to plan for that. If I’m going on a longer ride or bikepacking, I have to think about where am I getting my water and do I have enough water on me? Did I drink enough water the day before? If I don’t drink enough, I become really delirious. So I have to be really careful with that.
Kira Corbett – Dirty Freehub 5:06
Yeah.
Giselle Distad – Gravel Cyclist 5:06
But overall, it’s not. It’s not too bad. It’s just the long term effects aren’t too bad. So worth it. Small price. I tell my dad
Kira Corbett – Dirty Freehub 5:15
How do you get yourself to drink more water? I mean, it’s already hard enough for most people, has it? Especially doing
Giselle Distad – Gravel Cyclist 5:20
if
Kira Corbett – Dirty Freehub 5:20
sports.
Giselle Distad – Gravel Cyclist 5:20
you possible,
Kira Corbett – Dirty Freehub 5:21
Yeah. Yeah,
Giselle Distad – Gravel Cyclist 5:22
I find like just chugging a bunch at once. It’s been good for me. It’s like, not like a whole liter or anything, but
Kira Corbett – Dirty Freehub 5:29
Yeah.
Giselle Distad – Gravel Cyclist 5:29
like, I can see like a half a litre in one go. And I really the biggest thing is like, okay, if I know tomorrow I’m going to go bike 30 miles. Today I drink more than three liters so that tomorrow if I fall behind, I’m not delirious.
Kira Corbett – Dirty Freehub 5:43
hmm. Mm hmm.
Giselle Distad – Gravel Cyclist 5:44
So it’s like trying to plan and prepare for that has been just something I haven’t had to navigate before. I never thought about being hydrated, which is probably something I should have thought about. So this is a good a good check in.
Kira Corbett – Dirty Freehub 5:58
Mm hmm. Mm hmm. And it just makes me want to drink water. Thinking about it.
Giselle Distad – Gravel Cyclist 6:02
Yeah, definitely. Make sure you’re drinking enough water and getting enough salt, but not too much salt.
Kira Corbett – Dirty Freehub 6:06
Yeah.
Giselle Distad – Gravel Cyclist 6:07
So
Kira Corbett – Dirty Freehub 6:08
Well, how can others be helpful? And what would you like others to understand about these challenges?
Giselle Distad – Gravel Cyclist 6:13
I think other people in my life have been so helpful just by being supportive, they are helpful and patient and understanding of my recovery time. It’s been so nice having friends to ride with that want to ride with me even if I’m riding slower than I normally do. And that’s just then. The biggest help is people understanding that my body isn’t the same anymore. And while also to get back to normal, it’s nice to have some support just for people to go the same pace as me and hang out with me. And
Kira Corbett – Dirty Freehub 6:44
Yeah,
Giselle Distad – Gravel Cyclist 6:44
yeah,
Kira Corbett – Dirty Freehub 6:44
definitely. It’s not a bad thing for people to slow down a little bit to
Giselle Distad – Gravel Cyclist 6:49
yeah, definitely they can. Yeah. We just take more time enjoying the sights, do a little birdwatching, have a little snack.
Kira Corbett – Dirty Freehub 6:56
drink some water.
Giselle Distad – Gravel Cyclist 6:57
Yeah. Drink some water, have an electrolyte beverage.
Kira Corbett – Dirty Freehub 7:01
Yeah, that’s wonderful to hear that, though. What would you say to someone who’s thinking about cycling or gravel cycling and do you have any advice for someone with experiencing a similar challenge or another challenge of their own?
Giselle Distad – Gravel Cyclist 7:13
Yeah, absolutely. I think the biggest thing is for anyone getting into biking, especially somebody that has a similar recovery to me or, you know, an injury or disability is to obviously listen to your doctors, but also listen to your body. A lot of times when I go for a bike ride, I’m like leaving the house and I’m like, okay, I’m going to go ride 20 miles. And I mentally commit to that and five miles into the ride if I don’t feel well, I feel like I have to push through because I’m mentally committed to 20 miles, even if I’m not feeling well. And while I think it’s can be good sometimes to push through, I feel like my mindset has changed since surgery. I think that any amount of biking is better than no biking. So if I start my ride and five miles and I don’t feel well, then I change my route or I come back. And maybe it was a shorter ride, but that’s totally okay. And if I do feel good and I committed to 20 miles and I’m 20 miles in and I still feel good, I capitalize on that and just keep going. And I think that that mindset shift has done a lot for me. And I think I hope other people can feel this way, too, and not think that it’s about the numbers. It’s just about getting out and doing something.
Kira Corbett – Dirty Freehub 8:27
That’s really powerful. I’m glad you actually mentioned that.
Giselle Distad – Gravel Cyclist 8:30
Yeah, I think it’s like if people can get so competitive with activities, especially in the outdoor field, like people love to, you know, check out each other’s dramas and compete against each other and I think a little bit of healthy competition is good, but it’s not all about that. Like, you know, a five mile ride is still you got outside and rode five miles and especially if you’re having if you’re in recovery or you have a disability, like that’s great and that might be all you can do. And that’s still a lot.
Kira Corbett – Dirty Freehub 9:01
That’s such a good mindset to have. I think.
Giselle Distad – Gravel Cyclist 9:04
Yeah. And it’s nice to see, you know, like people help you up
Kira Corbett – Dirty Freehub 9:06
Yeah.
Giselle Distad – Gravel Cyclist 9:06
like, Oh, I’m going to go ride 40 miles today. And then you’re like, Oh, maybe I’ll go do that. But if you don’t end up doing 40 miles, that’s fine. And I think that’s like there’s so many good things that came out of this kidney surgery for me. And I think that’s one of the biggest ones is like. Realizing that I’m always just in competition with myself and I don’t have to be.
Kira Corbett – Dirty Freehub 9:26
Yeah. Is there anything you like to add or like that we didn’t talk about or something you like to share?
Giselle Distad – Gravel Cyclist 9:32
If you or someone you know has a kidney that they are thinking about donating or someone they know needs a kidney, it’s really not that bad. Six weeks was a long time and when it was happening, but especially if you’re donating to someone you know and love, it is life changing for the donor and the recipient. And I would say you should consider donating. It seems so much scarier than it was,
Kira Corbett – Dirty Freehub 9:58
Yeah.
Giselle Distad – Gravel Cyclist 9:58
and my life will be the same.
Kira Corbett – Dirty Freehub 10:00
Mm hmm.
Giselle Distad – Gravel Cyclist 10:01
No one will have any idea that I have one kidney. And I think that there’s not a lot of information about kidney donation. And I just hope people, if they take something out of this, it’s listen to your body. And if you have an opportunity to donate a kidney, you should do it if you want.
Kira Corbett – Dirty Freehub 10:22
Yeah. Well, that’s a good message. Well, thank you so much.
Giselle Distad – Gravel Cyclist 10:27
Yeah, I’m so happy to be on here.
