Matthew Purvis: Tour DaVita Rider

When the 7^th Annual Tour DaVita® kicks off in South Carolina on September 14, Matthew Purvis will be riding in his fourth Tour.  A serious and seriously fit cyclist who typically puts in two hours on his bike each day, Matthew is recovering from two surgeries earlier this year, but thinks he’ll be ready to go in September.  Matthew was the first dialysis patient rider four years ago and has been an inspiration to the entire Tour team and his fellow riders since that time. 

Matthew is 29 years old and from Pensacola, Florida.  He’s pleased that the Tour is coming to the Southeast this year where the weather will be warm and a little humid as it is at home.  According to Matthew, “I don’t want to be known as a patient rider – I expect to be right up there at the front of the pack by the end of the day.”  But as much as Matthew loves to ride, he says it’s the companionship of his fellow riders and the visits to the dialysis clinics along the route that make the experience most meaningful to him. 

“I’ve met so many wonderful people over the past four years and I feel especially close to friends who’ve been on the ride every year,” said Matthew.  “I’ll be riding this year for my friend David Peterson, who lost his wife Tony earlier this year.”

Matthew suffered kidney failure as a child, but received a kidney transplant when he was six.  The transplanted kidney, which came from his dad, lasted almost 15 years, but he has been on dialysis since November 2006 as he waits on a list for a new kidney.

Matthew doesn’t think that the fact that he is on dialysis makes his athletic achievements that far out of the ordinary.  As he said in an interview after his first Tour, “Dialysis is supposed to give you life, not take it away,” he said.  “Dialysis does pose many challenges and I’m one of the lucky ones to be in good health, but I want to encourage others to get out there and live healthy, active lives.”