Second wind: Fredericton man plays in 55+ Games after double-lung transplant

David Roberts stands in the sun, breathing in the air of another bright and sunny Tuesday afternoon in west Saint John.

About five years ago, the 66-year-old was told he had three to five years to live.

He was diagnosed with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, which causes continuous scarring of the lungs.

"I was hoping there was something I could do about it, but I was told there was very little," the Fredericton resident said.

"The advice was go and enjoy those three to five years."

The news caught Robertsoff guard. He had always lived a healthy and active life and even participated in strength competitions.

"From that point, it was a matter of trying to maximize life," he said calmly.

Down but not winded

Fredericton man plays in 55+ Games after double-lung transplant

6 years ago

Duration 0:43

David Roberts was diagnosed with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, which causes continuous scarring of the lungs

Now, his smoke-whitehair reflects the brilliance of the sun as he looks toward the roof of the building he's in front of.

It's the Peter Murray Arena in Saint John.

Only five months after being on the operating table for a life-saving, double-lung transplant, Roberts is here to play hockey in the Canada 55+ Games.

An opening on the Prince Edward Island team allowed the athlete-turned-patient to play.

"He's an inspirational kind of guy," said Dr. Shane Shapera, who worked with Roberts at the University Health Network in Toronto.

Every morning when I wake up, I'm grateful to have woken up.- David Roberts

While no cure exists, Shapera said, certain breakthroughs in medicine slowed the pace of the scar tissue buildup, lengthening Roberts's life enough to receive a transplant.

Shapera said he sees people die everyday waiting for the procedure.

"Even when he was really sick, he was still really active and trying to keep his overall fitness as good as it could be," the doctor said. "Mostly because he really wanted this lung transplant and [to] get through it successfully."

Continues to push

Even after winning his fight, receiving his second lease on life, Roberts has continued to push himself.

While originally supposed to play pickleball, he decided he'd challenge himself with hockey, believing "that would propel me towards something and force me to do a lot more."

The Canada 55+ Games involve athletes from around the country competing in more than 20 sports this week in Saint John.

Roberts plays in a league designed for men older than 65.

Line in the sand

Unsure how his team will do, Roberts called the simple act of being alive a "sheer delight."

He points to family members, who changed their own lifestyle to be healthier alongside their father and grandfather, and to the medical staff at the University Health Network as reasons why he'shere.

And it's important to have something to strive toward, he says.

"It's absolutely critical," Roberts said. "You have to draw a line in the sand out there somewhere. You have to reach for something constantly.

"Every morning when I wake up, I'm grateful to have woken up. Walking upright, walking forward. Having all those opportunities, all those things you always did, but to know there's more of them in the future."