Coopersburg man named 2012 male athlete at National Transplant Games

Leigh Valley The Morning Call | Milton D. Carrero


At age 74, Donald Ehnot is doing what he couldn't do when he was young: be an athlete.
He was born a healthy baby, but by age 3, doctors discovered a murmur in his heart. As he grew older, he noticed that unlike his peers, he couldn't run longer than a few minutes without losing his breath.
Today, Ehnot competes internationally as a runner and was recently selected as the 2012 Male Athlete of the Year at the National Transplant Games in Michigan.
It took an odyssey, however, to get to this point.
As an infant, Ehnot had rheumatic fever, which doctors believed led to cardiac problems that would challenge him for most of his life. The complications affected his heart's aortic valve and limited his endurance.
But he learned to adapt, focusing on his academic aspirations rather than sports. The Coopersburg resident became a mechanical engineer and worked at Air Products. He married, had three children and climbed the ranks of the prestigious company at a fast pace.
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