A heart transplant gave him a second chance at life, then he did something extraordinary

Most people begin the Appalachian Trail carrying a backpack.

Terry Markham also carried something else. Inside his chest was the heart that gave him a second chance at life.

Markham set out to hike the trail's full 2,200 miles a little more than five years after his transplant at the AdventHealth Transplant Institute. The effort was about more than distance though. "I wanted to show people that I went through this. And this is the type of life you could still have," said Markham.

Around his neck, he carried a necklace that belonged to his donor, Dylan. The hike was a way to honor that gift and the life it made possible. I'm just very thankful for AdventHealth, because if it hadn't been for the work that they do and the work they did for me, I wouldn't be on the trail," said Markham.

Doctors say successful transplant care is about more than saving a life, it's about restoring it. "Our goal with heart transplant and all the other therapies we provide is to make the person whole, provide whole person care and give them that life back and the way they live," said Dr. Ahmad Zeeshan, surgical director of AdventHealth's heart transplant program.

Markham reached 300 miles before plantar fasciitis forced him to stop. "My heart didn't stop me," he said. "It was my feet."

"It's not over. I'm not finished."

Still, he said the trail was never only about the miles. "I wanted people to realize that you could go through these major ordeals, even a heart transplant, and have a normal productive life."

And he already knows he'll be back. "It's not over. I'm not finished. I've got another 1800 miles to go on the Appalachian Trail. I will go back and I will complete this. Period."

To hear Terry Markham tell his story click the video link at the top of this page.

For more information about AdventHealth Transplant Institute, Central Florida's only solid-organ transplant program, click HERE.

There are currently more than 109,000 people waiting for a lifesaving organ transplant in the U.S. Florida residents can sign up to become an organ donor in just a few minutes by visiting: Donate Life Florida. One person's selfless gift can save eight lives.