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Thirty-three years...and still counting |
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Kidney Numbers |
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Letter from a donor's family |
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Kudos |
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A Mother's tribute to her son |
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Making transplant better through research |
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Back on the creek |
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by Tanja Hutter This February you could say John Cech (pronounced ‘check’) will mark his 33rd birthday, although his actual age is more than twice that. Gracious, charming and intrinsically humble, you would hardly expect that he is a man making medical history as having received one of the longest-lasting kidney transplants—33 years and still counting.Having emigrated from the former Czechoslovakia, John arrived in Canada in 1951. He soon met Helen [who was to become his lifelong companion] in Thunder Bay, ON and eventually they moved to Vancouver. In 1967 John bought a comfortable home in East Vancouver with a sunny front yard... but his good luck soon changed. In 1968, John’s life took a detour. Beset with a nagging throat infection and a family doctor who refused to prescribe antibiotics, John’s immune system fell under attack. He grew increasingly weaker so Helen circumvented the doctor and took John to get a second opinion. It was immediately obvious that John was seriously ill, and that the ‘harmless’ throat infection that did not warrant concern by John’s doctor had destroyed his kidneys. Long before the days of home-care visits, John had to rely on Helen for everything, even the most basic of necessities. John deteriorated to the point where his arms and legs were so debilitated that he was bed-ridden and could no longer feed himself. Dialysis became John’s lifeline but it was an onerous process that could only do so much. In fact, on peritoneal dialysis he felt worse. Employed at Vancouver General Hospital, John started his shift around midnight and went home at 7 am. When he wasn’t sleeping or working, he was back on dialysis; there were times when he was dialyzed for 24 straight hours. With all his energy spent on maintaining this routine, John was too weak to be proactive about his condition. Helen took care of him in every capacity and successfully championed his case to the nephrologists screening for possible transplant patients. In February 1970, a six-year-old girl succumbed to a severe case of measles and her parents graciously donated her organs. John received one of her kidneys; at the time of transplant it was no bigger than the size of his thumb. Unlike transplant recipients today, those pioneer patients were not under general anesthetic during the operation. After receiving a local to his spine, John listened to the four-hour operation as a surgical team removed his kidneys and transplanted a new one. The first three days with his new kidney went well, it functioned normally. On the fourth day, however, it stopped. John was back on dialysis. The doctors thought his kidney was probably in shock. After a week, John felt the urge to urinate while he was on dialysis. Surprised, the attending nurse gave him an empty receptacle in which to relieve himself. His kidney appeared to be functioning normally, so he was taken off dialysis. His kidney hasn’t caused him a moment’s concern since that week in 1970 (although a few years ago some scar tissue began blocking his renal artery; angioplasty successfully rectified the problem). With a second chance at life made possible, John was able to work again and was hired to handle the audio-visual department at a school of nursing. For 25 years he maintained and operated the school’s audio-visual equipment as his job description outlined, but he was better known (and I dare say appreciated) for his extra-curricular duties. John always went into work early so that he could have a pot of coffee ready for the staff’s arrival. If a car battery died or a tire went flat, a pair of glasses needed tightening or a watch broke, staff and students knew they could count on John to fix it. Now in retirement, John propagates life with his green thumb—an avid gardener, he can encourage peach trees to grow in his front yard. If he is not playing snooker with friends or dancing, then he is probably traveling with Helen somewhere around the world… they have already been to South Africa, the Caribbean, Cuba and Europe. “I owe it all to Helen,” John is quick to mention. “She took care of me, even when I was at my worst… and I could be very cranky! While I was on dialysis I saw other couples break up because the patient’s husband or wife could not deal with their spouse or the strain that the illness placed on them. After all that, I hope she [Helen] thinks I was worth it.” John winks and chuckles. Editor’s note: Today, due to medical advances, patients requiring a kidney transplant do not have their diseased kidneys removed as they once did. A general anaesthetic is also given.
Your card arrived last week and it was the most meaningful event since our loved one’s death. How I wish I could give you both a big hug for writing to us! It gives us great comfort to think of your family, and I try to picture you and your wife and your children, as you celebrate life together. Our loved one made the decision to be an organ donor many years ago, while still a teenager. He registered his wishes again last year, when the new donor registry began. Little did he know then how soon his decision would have such a big impact on other people’s lives. We feel our loved one lives on in you and in the other recipients. Thank you for helping us find meaning in our loss. We hope and pray for your continued good health. The preceding letter was received by the BC Transplant Society’s Retrieval Department. It was written by a donor family to one of the recipients of their loved ones’ organs. The following companies generously donated door prizes for our Second Annual Volunteer Appreciation Event, which was held in December.
We would also like to thank Calhoun’s Bakery and Cafe for generously donating a dessert platter for the event.
My son was admitted to St. Paul’s Hospital on a Saturday. He’d been salmon fishing with his girlfriend, Paula, and her parents near Texada Island, when he became violently ill. He was taken to Powell River Hospital, and then by air ambulance to Vancouver. At St. Paul’s, he underwent an emergency operation, where it was determined that he’d suffered a massive brain injury due to a cerebral hemorrhage. On Sunday morning, I called Dr. Griesdale, the neuro surgeon. He told me that Donald was not able to breathe on his own. I don’t recall whether he said, “brain dead”, but I knew what that meant. Donald had always been very healthy and rarely missed a day of school or work. He was well loved by all who knew him. His friends from Vancouver and the Okanagan came to be with him, his family, and each other as soon as they heard Donald was sick. I was living in Vancouver, and his sisters, Susan and Hillary, were here too. Donald’s father came from the Kootenays. We rented a suite in a hotel across the street from the hospital, so we had a place to be together. We took turns sitting by Donald’s bed and holding his hand. I remember getting up at about 2:00 o’clock in the morning and walking into the hotel suite’s living room and seeing his [Donald’s] friends asleep on the pull-out, chairs, and floor. The baby son of one of Donald’s best friends was among the group. It was a wonderful, life-affirming sight. A friend asked Donald’s father and me, and whoever else was at the hotel, if we had thought about organ donation. I hadn’t, nor had his father. I was still in shock and getting used to the idea that I would no longer have a son. Paula said that Donald had recently told her that he wanted to be an organ donor. Because that seemed typical of Donald, his father and I immediately went over to St. Paul’s Hospital and asked for and signed the relevant forms. We had Donald’s funeral/memorial service on, I think, a Wednesday, while we were still together as a group. The gathering at my house after the service became a celebration of his life, long before that term became common. Because the period between Donald’s, ‘cerebral accident’, and the funeral/memorial was so brief, I was left with two bits of unfinished business. One was that Donald never received a eulogy, while the other was my concern that other parents and family members would not know about or be asked about organ donation, and thereby miss the very real comfort that donating Donald’s organs has brought me. Writing this, and being a BC Transplant Society volunteer is my resolution of those unfinished bits. Joanne Robertson, October 21, 2002 Joanne is the inaugural recipient of the BC Transplant Society’s, 2002 Rookie of the Year Award for her work with the Society’s Volunteer Program.
Making transplant better through research Back to top
by Earl Howell The dock was bustling with teams of anxious paddlers, all waiting their turn to load into one of 24 Dragon Boats, which were in constant rotation over two days, as 180 teams, from across North America, competed in the 2002 Alcan Dragon Boat Festival. And like last year, transplant recipients were in the middle of the action. Finally, the “Gift of Life” transplant team was loaded and on their way to the start line. Howard Teasley, the team’s coach, and I watched as they pulled away from the dock. Howard said it was like sending your children off to school for the first time¾you want to be with them, but you know you cannot go. This was the first time since we started practicing, back in early March, that we weren’t in the boat with them. Howard was okay with that, because, as he said, “just like in our school days, we have all worked hard, learned our lessons, and are up for the challenge.” And with those sage words, we dashed to the finish line, to find a spot with our cheering section, complete with multi-colored whistles that could be heard a mile away. It was hard to see them at the starting line, but soon after we heard the starter’s gun, it wasn’t long before the boats were in sight. Their paddles flashed rhythmically in the bright morning sun. Our screams of encouragement and shrieking whistles rained down on them, as our boat crossed the finish line in the middle of the pack, in this, the first of two seeding heats leading toward the championship round. To determine the placement for the next day’s semi-final heat, the team raced again on the Saturday afternoon. The final day of racing, brought another brilliant, and sunny Vancouver day, unlike those dark, cold, wet, and windy nights we persevered through all spring, while training for the competition. The team paddled strong and was able to shave a full ten seconds off the previous day’s best time, but they came up just a little short in qualifying for the next round. Everyone was a little disappointed, but as team member, Kai Bye-Jensen remarked, “we’re always first in our lane, and therefore always winners.” On behalf of all transplant recipients; the team is thankful, for the privilege of being able to continue paddling in the game of life. It’s the reason we are out here¾paying tribute to our donors, demonstrating to the community the immense value of their “GIFT OF LIFE”, and promoting Organ Donation. A few weeks after the Vancouver festival, most of the team, along with some family members, competed in the Kelowna Dragon Boat Festival, where they paddled to a first place finish in their division. In June, the 2003 Alcan Dragon Boat Festival will return to Vancouver’s False Creek, and once again the Gift of Life transplant team will be competing. If you are interested in joining the team, look for posters in local transplant clinics, or contact the BC Transplant Society’s Communications Department [604.877.2240 or 1.800.663.6189]. The admission requirements are simple¾be a transplant recipient, have approval from your transplant doctor, and get down to the Creek. The Team is always looking for sponsors to help offset the costs of entering competitions [registration fees, uniforms, etc], so if you would like to help, please contact the BC Transplant Society. Back to top | |||||||
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