Defying the Odds: Surgeon Makes History Securing 2 Silver Medals in National Cycling Championship After Transplant

A Lehigh Valley surgeon and transplant recipient has made history by securing two silver medals at the National Cycling Championships in Wisconsin.

Neal Stansbury, MD, an orthopedic surgeon at Lehigh Valley Orthopedic Institute, part of Jefferson Health, has accomplished something no heart‑transplant recipient has ever done. He won two silver medals at the 2026 USA Cycling Masters and Junior Road National Championships. He competed in the criterium and road races in the 65-69 age group. 

This comes after Dr. Stansbury finished fifth in the championships last year, an extraordinary result for any athlete, let alone someone riding with a donor heart.  

What makes this story so compelling is not just the comeback, but the context. In his 40s and 50s, Dr. Stansbury waited patiently on the transplant list. After a lifesaving transplant in 2018, Dr. Stansbury was told he'd never race bikes again, though he was determined to defy those odds. After all, he had nearly gone pro in cycling before choosing orthopedic surgery; he wasn't giving up either of those passions.  

Once he had his new heart, Dr. Stansbury didn't miss a beat, with his patients or with cycling. He reconditioned and earned medals (including gold!) at the World Transplant Games. Plus, he's become a powerful ambassador for organ donation and a living example of what modern transplant medicine makes possible. 

Dr. Stansbury is the sports physician for Allentown Central Catholic High School, the medical director at Valley Preferred Cycling Center and a speaker, volunteer and board member at the Gift of Life. He does all this while being devoted to his wife and three daughters, all of whom now work in medicine.