Paul Underhill travelled to Toronto for a double lung transplant to save his life, but resorted to a kitchen blender to keep his life going.
Underhill, 44, was born with cystic fibrosis. About two years ago the disease reached the stage where he was flown via air ambulance to Toronto for the transplant. He underwent the operation April 21, 2011.
鈥淚 was out there for a week, did some tests and was listed for a transplant on Thursday and I got the call on Friday morning, Good Friday,鈥� the Victoria man said in an interview. 鈥淚t was incredible.鈥�
The operation marked the end of several years of deteriorating health in which Underhill found himself experimenting in the kitchen looking for food to maintain his strength.
In the six months prior to the transplant, Underhill was on oxygen around the clock and in hospital for all but a few days.
He now cycles and leads a fit and healthy lifestyle.
Cystic Fibrosis sa国际传媒 says CF is the most common fatal genetic disease affecting Canadian children. It attacks a number of systems, notably digestion and the lungs, which end up with a thick layer of mucus, leading to infection. Most cystic fibrosis deaths are a result of lung disease.
Underhill said the disease meant he required more calories than normal to keep his body going. So with the aid of his blender, he combined a special blend of nutritious, natural and, as much as possible, organic ingredients to build his energy before and after the transplant.
鈥淚 was relying on my homemade version of these super shakes to help keep me alive,鈥� he said. 鈥淭hose shakes were a big part of keeping things going.鈥�
A week after the transplant, Underhill was back on his feet and it occurred to him to make and sell his shakes.
He is now part of a new company selling the meal-replacement drink, Rumble, in two flavours, vanilla maple and Dutch cocoa. It鈥檚 available in 355-millilitre bottles, each serving up 250 calories, in stores including Lifestyle Markets and the Market on Yates in Victoria, and in more than 500 other stores across sa国际传媒.
Underhill and his partners also appeared last week on the CBC show Dragons鈥� Den, where entrepreneurs make a pitch to secure financing from five business gurus. All five 鈥淒ragons鈥� were impressed enough to make an offer to help Rumble. But Underhill said since the pitch, Rumble opted to go with other financing.
The company is now preparing to try to enter the U.S. market in March.
Underhill said in formulating Rumble he had significant help from one of his partners, naturopath Kim McQueen. It was McQueen, for example, who suggested boosting the amount of Omega-3 fatty acids.
鈥淚 was off work for years prior to the operation just because the challenges of daily living were beyond the ability to work at a full-time job,鈥� Underhill said.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 what gave rise to the creation of the shakes, but I still wanted to contribute, make a difference in the community.鈥�
As a boy, Underhill said he barely acknowledged his disease. He was full of energy 鈥� a cross-country runner, he played hockey, soccer and rode his bicycle everywhere.
After graduating from Oak Bay High he earned two degrees from the University of Victoria, psychology and law, before going to work for the provincial government.
But beginning in his late 20s he started to become ill.
Doctors had advised him to use meal-replacement drinks, but by then he was observant about nutrition and was appalled when he read the ingredients on the available meal-replacement drinks: artificial flavours, preservatives and corn syrup.
He said it was during this time he first noticed the connection between eating healthy, whole foods and feeling good. So Underhill gave up the commercially available drinks and resorted to health food, vegan powders and mixes that could be combined in a blender.
鈥淏ut they actually taste pretty gross,鈥� he said. 鈥淎nd it turns out they are pretty hard to digest. So I ended up making my own shake in a blender, combining all the good things I wanted to eat.鈥�
There is, however, one thing he credits more for preserving his life than his shakes or Rumble. That would be his wife, with whom he shares a home in Fairfield with two cats.
Sandra Pol, 42, has had her own health issues 鈥� Hodgkin鈥檚 lymphoma as a teen and treated twice for breast cancer. But Underhill said he owes everything to her.
鈥淪o many people say to me, 鈥極h wow, you have such courage,鈥欌�� said Underhill. 鈥淚 always say back, 鈥楢re you kidding me? I had no choice. It was die or get a transplant.鈥�
鈥淏ut a lot of people in my wife鈥檚 position would have thought, 鈥業鈥檓 out of here,鈥� and left,鈥� he said. 鈥淪he just rolled up her sleeves and did everything she could to support me.
鈥淪he is really the biggest reason I am here. She has a heck of lot more courage then me.鈥�
To learn more about Underhill and Rumble, go to drinkrumble.com
