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| Aran and Hemochromatosis
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Before training could begin, Aran became very ill.
Chronic fatigue, joint pain, heart arrhythmia, and an enlarged liver replaced the dream to run. Eventually in 1999, Aran was diagnosed with hemochromatosis, an inherited disorder of iron metabolism.
With hemochromatosis, people absorb excess iron from the diet. Iron has no way of being excreted except in tiny amounts, so over time, the excess iron builds in the vital organs of the heart, liver,
pancreas, pituitary causing these organs to fail. If not detected and treated, hemochromatosis is fatal, which earns it the same credential as high blood pressure: "The Silent Killer".
Before getting his diagnosis, Aran's body was basically rusting away. Once diagnosed he was told that if he did not
begin phlebotomies (blood donation), his life expectancy was about 5 years. Aran's therapetic phlebotomies were
completed that in August of 2002. But he was weak, his strength depleted. He contracted pneumonia three times
during 2002 to early 2003.
Finally, as 2003 came to an end, something changed; he was feeling better, getting his strength back.
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