Thanks, Neil!
Yeah, I was a big runner before I got ill, and my decline was really rapid - up until Nov 2008 I was running 30km a week (3x 10km usually), then I had to stop while my bloods were so low. I had my transplant in early July 2009, and my first post-transplant run was in January 2010. For me, the first 6 months were really hard, but that was because of a lot of liver complications, plus getting meningitis post transplant, having a Hickman line infection, yadda ya. But something magical happened for me at 6 months - all at the same time they removed my PICC line and stopped the daily antifungal IVs, I got my first haircut and stopped wearing wigs, I went back to work part-time, and I could start wearing my contact lenses again. All of the above contributed to me feeling enough like "me" again that I was itching to get running again, even though it was freezing out.
Even though I was totally off running for about 14 months, I was surprised at how much fitness I still retained - even at my first run back, I was able to run 5km no problem at all, which surprised even me! I celebrated my one year post-transplant rebirthday with a 10km race, which I did in 53:48 that year.
(Though I am SO going to break my pre-illness PB of 51:17 next year, I can feel it!!)
I'm happy to say now that I'm actually faster than I was pre-illness and I'm nearly clocking up as many miles as before, but importantly,
I'm nicer to myself now. I'm a very driven person and it's much easier for me to get out there and push myself than it is for me to recognise when my body needs rest, so these days I try and listen to my body much more and run to its best interest. I've also joined a running club to keep me interested in the social side of things, instead of just putting my head down and running the same route all the time.
I think your timeframe to return to sports is realistic - just make sure you recognise that your body won't be the same you had before, but you can bounce back and regain your abilities again. Just make sure to know when to push yourself and when to step back and take a rest. You've been through things your teammates couldn't imagine, and your body is not the same as theirs.
(I don't know if you use any running apps or sites, but I find them super motivating, and if you want to follow me,
I'm squirrellypoo on dailymile.com, too)