MY TRANSPLANT by John Doyle

It was 8.20p.m. on Sunday evening the 10th of December when the phone rang
(nothing unusual you might think). My wife answered it and passed it over to me,
it was Harefield hospital offering me a lung, I was taken aback as I had only been
on the waiting list since the previous September, I of course accepted their offer.
I had to make it to the hospital before midnight otherwise the new lungs would start
to deteriorate. The ambulance arrived shortly after 9.00p.m. and we were soon on
our way travelling at speeds of up to 145mph. We arrived at Harefield hospital just
before midnight and it was all systems go for the transplant! I didn't even have time
to take a shower; I was offered a single lung at first but no suitable recipient was
found for the other lung so I was offered both lungs, which I duly accepted. Blood
was taken for various tests, the consent form signed and I was on my way to the
theatre to be prepared for my new lungs. Once it was confirmed that the lungs were
suitable the surgeons start to remove my lungs whilst the lungs of the donor are
being removed. My new lungs came from an eighteen-year-old male from Cork in
southern Ireland, and were flown into Heathrow Airport by Learjet, and then by a
special response vehicle to Harefield. Lungs deteriorate rapidly once they have
been removed from the donor and only have a 'life' of three hours so things have
to move very quickly! The operation took over eight hours after which I was taken
to intensive care: Within twelve hours I was taken back to the theatre for a further
operation as I had started to bleed internally. The operation was successful and I
was returned to the intensive care unit: I lay unconscious for a further five days on
life support and when I finally woke up it was a further three weeks before I
regained any of my senses. During the operations I suffered two brain
haemorrhages, renal failure, also the surgeons had difficulties getting my new
lungs started! When I finally became 'compus mentus' I found that the 'strokes' that
I had suffered whilst under the anaesthetic had left me with impaired vision and
paralysis in my arms and legs. Most of the feeling has come back but I am still
having problems with my eyes, my right leg, and my right shoulder. I have to take
quite a few drugs on a daily basis (mainly to stop rejection and infection). Also I
have to attend Harefield for regular check ups to make sure that everything is as it
should be. After spending three of the last four months in Harefield I feel that things
at last are going my way and look forward to many years of doing things that were
previously impossible, thanks to the gift of life that was given to me.