Interestingly I was extremely calm about the actual interview which occurred the following evening at the Mt Coot-Tha studio. I sat with four other ‘hopefuls’ who quite frankly were just as interesting as me, well, maybe not quite, hahaha! Under the studio lights, with cameras rolling and with the boom microphone hovering over us, the Creative Producer fired current affair questions at each one of us and as the mother of a liver transplant recipient, naturally, I felt more than qualified to comment on my question “should those who abuse alcohol receive a liver transplant?” Don’t think I haven’t thought about this many times over the years. Larry Hagman (Dallas and I Dream of Jeannie American actor) was in the same position as Mr Hinch, the central figure to this question I was to comment on.
My response :- I am a nurse by profession and took the the Hippocratic Oath at graduation. The Oath basically states that as medical professionals we are to treat each man equally and we must not play ‘at God.’ I am also a mother of a child who when she was listed on the transplant list at the age of fourteen months, was told that we would not wait any more than six months for her transplant. Six became seven, seven became eight…..after a wait of ten months and watching my first born’s health slip away in front of my eyes I finally had to question the medical team about the delay. Priority was protocol along with blood type compatibility they advised me and I knew this, but surely as I watch her deterioration escalate it had to be my precious girl's turn?
A couple of weeks later we received THAT phone call advising us that the hospital had a ‘potential’ liver for her, that they were still confirming that it was of the standard the surgeon required and for us to make our way to the hospital in readiness with our gorgeous child. I kissed this gorgeous creature good-bye as they wheeled her into the operating theatres and then waited an agonising and I repeat agonising nine hours to be advised by one of the incredible nursing staff that surgery was complete and all was looking good thus far. Not long after this information, the surgeon approached remarking “it was one of the easiest transplants I have been involved in. We didn’t even need to transfuse her which is rare.” Yes, my tears flowed and flowed and flowed.
However, I knew and had been told many times that this little darling was not cured, that transplant is NOT a cure, simply a form of treatment for her condition, that life was going to be filled with ups and downs, she would require medications by the truckload initially (fourteen in actual fact for the first few months) and then medication for the rest of her life. Alcohol will be a no-go for her etc etc. What did any of this matter; she was now a recipient and not on that waiting list and life was fabulous.
I was vigilant and will always be with her care as my daughter is. Being both a nurse and her mum I was determined that this child would receive A1 treatment from me and I was to do this also for the surgical team too, not to mention, and I sigh deeply now as I have done regularly for the past sixteen years with incredible gratitude, for the selfless family who lost their loved one and saved mine. There are still no words in the dictionary I could use to convey my thanks for this incredible act in giving the gift of life.
Fourteen years down the track, my daughter is fit, well, a very clever young lady, incredibly gorgeous and is in her first year of university who was transplanted not for abusing her liver but because she was born with an autoimmune disease. Would I ever want to go through this again? Absolutely not and oh how my heart goes out to every single one of those families waiting for that phone call that we were fortunate enough to receive in time to save our child’s life.
My reply to the creative producer of 7PM Project was just that: I can’t play “at God” and say Derryn is not eligible to have his life saved because we clearly can save him with transplantation. I do not know the current protocol for eligibility but clearly it includes alcohol abusers. I do know that my transplanted daughter says it is wrong that he received a transplant because too many are on the waiting list and are dying waiting and that it is not their fault that they are ill and she is absolutely right. Mr Hinch and Mr Hagman, I think that someone is clearly ‘on your side’ and may God help you appreciate and treasure every additional minute of your days left on earth because of the incredible generosity of the gift of life from your donors.
Oh and did I make the final few chosen for the show next week? Either way, it doesn’t matter because life is great.
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