Georgetown’s Slacker Half Marathon a special feat for heart transplant recipient

BY DEBORAH SWEARINGEN SPECIAL TO COLORADO COMMUNITY MEDIA

When Sedalia resident Andrea Ogg received a heart transplant in July 2018, she made a promise with herself to live a full life in honor of her donor.

As Ogg competed in the Slacker Half Marathon from Loveland Ski Area to Georgetown on June 24, she hoped to embody that promise.

“For me, the half marathon is the exclamation point on that sentiment of my just unending gratitude that someone made this decision (to donate their heart),” she said. “It’s a big responsibility.”

Ogg, now 57, was born with a rare congenital condition called left ventricular noncompaction cardiomyopathy, in which the lower left chamber of the heart doesn’t develop correctly. However, she didn’t learn about the condition until an unrelated echocardiogram in her mid-30s.

For years, she struggled to exercise, fainted regularly and expe- rienced shortness of breath — all symptoms of the heart condition she didn’t know about. But she internalized the idea that she was lazy, unathletic and unmotivated to put in the work necessary to get in shape.

Learning of her heart condition was hard but also validating.

“In reality, I’d been working harder than everyone else just to get through life,” Ogg said.

After being diagnosed, she continued to manage her symptoms with a cardiac de brillator for some 15 years before her heart stopped at a play rehearsal, putting her in end-stage heart failure and on the list for a transplant.

Transplant surgery and the subsequent recovery weren’t easy. Ogg had complications that required additional procedures, and she ultimately stayed in the hospital for a month or so.

But “a rough start certainly doesn’t mean a rough life,” she said.

As an immunosuppressed person, Ogg spent much of her strict pandemic quarantine getting in shape. She got outside and hiked a lot before deciding to begin training for the Slacker earlier this year.

“After a lifetime of being left behind physically, Ogg has spent the past ve years focusing on her health and tness, counseling others who are pre- and post-transplant, and checking o bucket list items, like the country’s “highest downhill half marathon,” said Cheryl Talley, director of communications and public relations for the Denver-based Donor Alliance.

Exercise is easier with a healthy heart, but there are still challenges.

For example, when Ogg’s original heart was removed, it was separated from the vagus nerve, the main nerves of a person’s parasympathetic nervous system. For the average person, this nerve system ensures the heart knows to beat faster during exercise to give their lungs more oxygen.

Some hearts reinnervate post surgery, but Ogg’s has not. is makes warming up even more crucial than it is for other runners.

“I just have to go by how I feel,” Ogg said.

For the Slacker, which descends from the base of the Loveland Ski Area more than 2,000 feet in elevation to downtown Georgetown, Ogg planned to begin walking at a brisk pace before beginning to jog.

She nished in just over 3 hours, wearing a sign honoring her heart donor for the course of the race.

According to the Donor Alliance, one donor can save up to eight lives through organ donation, and save and heal more than 75 lives through eye and tissue donation. In Colorado and Wyoming, roughly 1,500 are on the waiting list for an organ transplant.

As Ogg approaches the ve-year anniversary of the transplant that changed her life, she hopes to continue honoring her donor and raising awareness about organ donation.

“People who receive new organs can go on to live extraordinary lives,” she said. “ ere can be a misconception about what life is like for organ recipients.”

BY STAVROS KORONEOS

Scrappily ever after SOUTH JEFFCO – Prince Charming contacted the county constabulary complaining of Cinderella problems. Responding lawmen spoke rst to Cinderella, who said she’d been living with the charming prince for about three months, but that their fairy-tale romance had soured when Prince Charming turned into a total pumpkin and told her to am-scray. Ablaze with scorned fury, she’d waited until he was o questing somewhere to hunt up his secret money stash and self-refund her entire month’s rent. When Prince Charming came home to nd his cash box cleaned out, he proposed some sort of pro-rated arrangement. Cinderella argued that a 100-percent rebate was only fair because she hadn’t yet stayed the whole month, and punctuated her point by smashing several of Prince Charming’s jousting trophies against the wall, pouring a can of beer over his head, and then, apparently, pushing him so hard in the chest that she pushed herself over backward and bumped her bean.

Given the delicate lady’s highly agitated state, o cers couldn’t help wondering if she was under the in uence of some malign potion. Cinderella denied being drunk, but admitted inhaling the essence of burning herbs earlier in the day.

“Just take me to jail, already,” she snapped, ippantly. e o cers did as she commanded, booking Cinderella into the Je co dungeon on domestic violence charges.

Text vexes ex CONIFER – Jennifer and Ben are calling it quits, but their parting of ways has been something short of amicable. In mediation, Ben got the dog and Jennifer got Ben to agree to contact her only through her attorney. On the evening of June 2, Ben texted Jennifer to say he’d be coming by to collect the dog. Jennifer called JCSO to report Ben’s breach of treaty. Since there exists no protection order prohibiting direct communication between them, deputies told Jennifer that Ben’s text was a matter for the divorce court, not a criminal one. Jennifer believed deputies could still cite Ben for harassment because he “threatens” her. When asked to elabo- rate, Jennifer admitted that Ben is “smart” and only “threatens to call the police,” as opposed to threatening “my safety.” Finding no grounds for charges, deputies called it quits on the case.

Good deed punished

EVERGREEN – Saturday night is boom-time in the pizza business, and the ovens were going great guns on the night of June 3 when Massimo called for a pie on the y. e parlor was still packed a half-hour later when Massimo called again to nd out why his pepperoni-extra cheese hadn’t been delivered yet. Um, because we don’t deliver, the manager explained. “I’m too drunk to come get it!” complained Massimo. Reluctant to leave the bustling business, but “respecting (Massimo’s) decision not to drive,” Manager decided the escort the order to Massimo’s Wah Keeney Park address personally. Except that Massimo wasn’t home when the pizza got there. Massimo was at the pizza parlor demanding his deep-dish dinner. Manager drove the delicious disc back to the store, where Massimo hot-peppered him with insults and threatened to crack his calzone.

Massimo went home with his pie, but deputies soon called to inform him he’ll need to get his at-food x somewhere else from now on.

Night visitor

EVERGREEN – Matty has been trying to break up with Taylor for months, but he wasn’t quite there yet when Taylor showed up at his house in the wee hours of June 1 and settled in for the duration. Matty cautiously suggested to Taylor that she might be more comfortable somewhere, anywhere, else. Taylor counter-suggested to Matty that he was treading on dangerous ground. Only too aware of Taylor’s volcanic temper and belligerent proclivities, Matty found a quiet corner from which to call JCSO and ask for help de-Tayloring his digs. Asked to leave by deputies, Taylor swiftly departed. Sheri ’s Calls is intended as a humorous take on some of the incident call records of the Je erson County Sheri ’s O ce for the mountain communities. Names and identifying details have been changed, including the writer’s name, which is a pseudonym. All individuals are innocent until proven guilty.

HAPPENINGS

We’d like to know about events or activities of interest to the community. Visit www.canyoncourier.com/calendar/ and post your event online for free. Email dbrobst@coloradocommunitymedia.com to get items in the print version of the paper. Items will appear in print on a space-available basis.

WEDNESDAY

Enduro Mountain Bike Event: Team Evergreen will host an Enduro Mountain Bike event on June 28, and July 5 at Floyd Hill Open Space. For more information, visit www. teamevergreen.org/ oyduro.

EPRD summer concert series: e Evergreen Park & Recreation district will host four concerts starting at 4:30 p.m. this summer: June 28: Kyle O’Brien & Friends at Evergreen Lake; July 12: Blood Brothers at the Buchanan Park elds; July 26: May Be Fern at Evergreen Lake; and Aug. 9: Cass Clayton Band at Buchanan Park elds.

THURSDAY “Matilda Jr.”: e Venue eatre will perform “Matilda Jr.” June 29July 1 at the theater, 27132 Main St., Conifer. Performances are at 7 p.m. June 29-30, and at 2 p.m. and 6 p.m. July 1. Tickets are $15 and available at thevenuetheatre.org.

SATURDAY

Cars and Co ee: Cars and Coffee, a show for car enthusiasts, will be from 9 a.m.-noon Saturdays until Aug. 26 in front of Olde’s Garage on Evergreen Parkway. ere’s no registration fee. Bring your classic car or stop in to check out the vehicles. Free co ee and doughnuts. Donations bene t Mount Evans Hospice.

FRIDAY

All In Ensemble: e All In Ensemble, a new theater group committed to diversity, will perform “Sagittarius Ponderosa” by MJ Kaufman for three weekends, June 30 through July 16, at the Roaming Gnome eatre, 10255 E. 25th Ave., Unit 5, Aurora. Performances will be at 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday nights and 2 p.m. Sundays. Tickets for the show cost $25 and are available on Eventbrite.

TUESDAY

Freedom Run: e Freedom Run sponsored by Mount Evans Home Health Care & Hospice will host the 5K run walk starting at 8 a.m. Tuesday, July 4, starting at Evergreen Middle School and ending at Evergreen Athletic Club. Tickets are $40 in advance or $50 on race day for adults and $20 in advance and $30 on race day for youth under 18. For more information and to register, visit freedomrunrace.org.

Upcoming

Free legal clinic: A free legal clinic for people with no attorney will be from 2 to 5 p.m. ursday, July 6. Volunteer attorneys will answer questions, help ll out forms, and explain the process and procedure for all areas of civil litigation. Preregistration for individual 15-minute appointments is available by calling 303-235-5275.

Classic movie night: Center Stage is hosting monthly classic movie nights with acclaimed ls from the silent era to the golden age of cinema. e rst movie will be “Casablanca” starring Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman at 6:30 p.m. ursday, July 6, at the theater, 27608 Fireweed Drive, Evergreen. Single tickets are $15 for adults, $12 for seniors and $10 for students. For more information and tickets, visit ovationwest.org.

Camp Comfort Weekend Camp: Mount Evans Home Health Care &

Hospice’s Camp Comfort for children 6-12 who have lost a loved one will be July 7-9 at the Rocky Mountain Village Easter Seals Camp, 2644 Alvarado Road, Empire. Cost is free for all children thanks to donors, but a $25 deposit is required per child to hold their spot. Visit campcomfort. org for more information and to register.

Fun Day at the Ranch: Wild Aware is sponsoring a family fun day fundraiser from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. July 15 at a ranch just past Alderfer/ ree

SEE HAPPENINGS, P11