Duke’s Kiera Molloy Makes Magic Despite Chronic Disease

Photo Courtesy: Duke Photography

By Ashleigh Shanley, Swimming World College Intern

She lunged for the wall the last few strokes of her 400 IM, looked up at the scoreboard and a huge smile broke out across her face. After being hospitalized for multiple weeks just three months earlier, Kiera Molloy had broken Duke University’s school record.

Molloy, who was a junior at the time, suffered from chronic pancreatitis, a disease that hospitalized her about 100 times since she was diagnosed at the age of 4. She was constantly in and out of the hospital during her time as a student athlete at Duke, but she never let her disease get her down.

During her time at Duke, Molloy broke three school records, the 400 IM twice and the 800 free relay, and was a member of the conference championship team her freshman, sophomore and junior year.

However, it was her junior year that Molloy showed the world what dedication and determination truly meant. After being hospitalized for the entire month of November due to a pancreatic episode, Molloy did not know what the rest of the season would look like.

During the team’s training trip to the Florida Keys, Molloy dropped her yardage and worked to get back in shape, while being cognizant of her health.

Every day during the winter of her junior year, Molloy worked harder and harder to earn her spot on the ACC championship team. Refusing to let her disease stop her from accomplishing her goals. She was named to the team, but her goals were not going to end there. Instead, Molloy took the next step to amaze her teammates and coaches. The second night of the ACC championship, Molloy made it back to finals in the 500 freestyle, going a season best. But she was not done.

Photo Courtesy: Duke Photography

The third night of the ACC Championship meet, Molloy was swimming in the consolation finals of the 400 IM. As she touched the wall in a 4:17.41 Duke swimmers, coaches and fans went crazy. Molloy, who was hospitalized three months earlier, broke the team record.

“I think if I could describe it in one word I would say it was a pleasant surprise,” said Molloy. “It felt good because I had been through so much that spring and winter and it was kind of a moment of ‘nothing can really hold me back from what I want to do.’”

Regardless of the hardships Molloy faced her junior year, she never let them get her down. She was relentless about swimming for her team, and showing her disease that it could not stop her.

However, the summer before her senior year, Molloy decided she needed to stop the fight with her disease.

“Once the episodes were getting worse and more severe and longer, we decided to bring back the subject [of surgery] and talk about it and do some research because I knew I didn’t want to spend the rest of my college career sick,” said Molloy.

After visiting both the University of Minnesota Hospital and Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC), Molloy and her parents decided to explore the options at MUSC. “When I went to MUSC I got the feeling that it wasn’t as big of a deal as I thought it was,” said Molloy. “I would take a little time off from school and swimming, but then I would be healthy after.”

May of last year, Molloy underwent an intensive experimental surgery to remove her pancreas. In the process, the doctors removed islet cells from her pancreas (that help with the production of insulin) and moved them to her liver. This was done to try and allow Molloy to live a normal life. If the islet cell transplantation did not work, Molloy would become a type I diabetic.

Unfortunately, the islet cells did not work. However, Molloy was finally healthy. Just six weeks after her surgery, Molloy was back in the water doing modified workouts, refusing to give up the sport she loved. As she built her way back into it, Molloy competed at Duke’s first meet against the University of Pittsburgh in the beginning of October.

As team captain, Molloy practiced, competed and led the team for the entire season. “I was just taking it day by day, not putting any expectations on it and enjoying the process,” said Molloy. “I spent the season being grateful about the outcome of the surgery even if the swimming wasn’t there it was fine.”

She was not a part of the ACC championship team this year, but posted best times at the College Cup Invitational to finish off her swim career. Swimming and Duke have always been a huge part of the native North Carolinian’s life, and just because she was suffering from chronic pancreatitis, Molloy never gave up her dreams.

This May Molloy will be graduating from Duke University and moving to Austin, Texas to work for Gerson Lehrman Group in network development and recruiting, living a normal, healthy life.

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Marty Munt

8 years ago

Hooray for you Kiera! What an inspiration you are to everyone who knows you! Congratulations on all that you have accomplished and best wishes for all that the future holds for you!

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David Rieder - Senior Writer

8 years ago

Reply to Marty Munt

Bingo, Marty. I announce the dual meets here at Duke, and calling Kiera’s first races this season after her surgery was really special. If I remember correctly, her first was an exhibition 200 free heat with two guys. Easily the most pumped I ever got for a race like that!

Nancy Dougherty

8 years ago

Wow

John Razi

8 years ago

Gutsy..gutsy..gutsy. Beautiful. – jmr

Linda Batzer Nitchie

8 years ago

Great Inspirational story, Carley Nitchie, you should read this and Swimming World should do a story on you.

Debra Ryan

8 years ago

Brave and strong. You are fearless. Congratulations you are such an inspiration.