A Transplant Journey

RECYCLED PARTS: one family's journey with heart transplantation

Thursday, December 30, 2010

U.S. inmate must give kidney to sister to have life sentence lifted




It seems that just about everything related to Gladys & Jamie Scott's case is unethical. Two life sentences for an $11 armed robbery? Why should their release be any different? Although, I'm an advocate for organ donation, I'm not sure how I feel about Gladys Scott having to give her kidney away in order for early release. Apparently, she is volunteering to be a living donor, which is amazing. However, couldn't the judicial system allow it to still be voluntary, not a mandated condition of release?

Please read the details....



JACKSON, MISS.— The Associated Press
Gladys Scott - soon-to-be living donor
Jamie Scott - soon-to-be transplant recipient




For 16 years, sisters Jamie and Gladys Scott have shared a life behind bars for their part in an $11 armed robbery. To share freedom, they must also share a kidney.
Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour suspended the sisters’ life sentences on Wednesday, but 36-year-old Gladys Scott’s release is contingent on her giving a kidney to Jamie, her 38-year-old sister, who requires daily dialysis.
The sisters were convicted in 1994 of leading two men into an ambush in central Mississippi the year before. Three teenagers hit each man in the head with a shotgun and took their wallets – making off with only $11, court records said.
Jamie and Gladys Scott were each convicted of two counts of armed robbery and sentenced to two life sentences.
“I think it’s a victory,” said the sisters’ attorney, Chokwe Lumumba. “I talked to Gladys and she’s elated about the news. I’m sure Jamie is, too.”
Civil-rights advocates have for years called for their release, saying the sentences were excessive. Those demands gained traction when Mr. Barbour asked the Mississippi Parole Board to take another look at the case.
The Scott sisters are eligible for parole in 2014, but Mr. Barbour said prison officials no longer think they are a threat to society and Jamie’s medical condition is costing the state a lot of money.
Mr. Lumumba said he has no problem with the governor requiring Gladys to offer up her organ because “Gladys actually volunteered that as part of her petition.”
He said it’s not clear what caused the kidney failure, but it’s likely a combination of different illnesses over the years.
Barbour spokesman Dan Turner said that Jamie Scott was released because she needs the transplant. He said Gladys Scott will be released if she agrees to donate her kidney because of the significant risk and recovery time.
“She wanted to do it,” Mr. Turner said. “That wasn’t something we introduced.”

Tuesday, December 28, 2010

Organ Donation Quiz

Did you know?
In an average lifetime, the heart beats more than two and a half billion times, without ever pausing to rest.


I came across an informative site at TransWeb.org.  It is the site of the University of Michigan, Transplant Center.  It features sections including: Facts & Myths, Real Recipient stories, Transplant Games, FAQ & an informative Organ Donation Quiz.

Take the quiz at: http://www.transweb.org/myths/quiz/quizmaker.html


Sunday, December 26, 2010

Happy Holidays!

Happy Holidays from the McBride transplant family!
2010

We weren't sure how Christmas would be this year.  Michael was diagnosed last December on the eve of his family's annual Christmas party on a Saturday night [he didn't make it to the party...it went on without him].  Upon arrival at the Credit Valley Hospital Emergency, Michael was diagnosed with a Pulmonary Embolism & was pumped up with fluids [opposite treatment of a heart problem].  By Monday morning, he was given an echocardiogram which correctly diagnosed him with Congestive Heart Failure.  Once we received this diagnosis, we knew what lay ahead down the road.  Sadly, it all progressed sooner than we had anticipated.  Less than a year after his diagnosis, Michael gratefully received his donor heart.
Christmas 2009
What a difference a year makes!  This photo was taken on
Christmas - Michael had just recently been released
from the hospital

Considering he received his transplant a mere two months ago on October 27th, 2010, Michael seems in near tip top shape & was pretty much himself [aside from a newly-developed post transplant addiction to anything sweet - he literally devoured the cookie tray!].  We are so fortunate that we were able to spend our holidays together as a family unit!  It was a lovely day to celebrate good things!


Monday, December 20, 2010

Tracey Morgan Recovering After Kidney Transplant

BY DAHVI SHIRA




Tracy Morgan will be noticeably absent from at least two episodes of 30 Rock in March.

According to EW, the actor, 42, is recovering from a kidney transplant he underwent on Dec. 10.

Tina Fey and the other writers of the hit comedy reportedly plan to address Morgan’s absence on the show by saying he has some sort of a meltdown because of a good thing that’s happened to him.

Morgan, who has diabetes, is said to be recovering from the surgery nicely. He was recently spotted at a New York Knicks basketball game.

His costar, Grizz Champan, also underwent the same transplant earlier this year.

http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20452251,00.html

Thursday, December 16, 2010

Here's The Champ at the HeartLinks Christmas Party
HeartLinks is the Toronto General Hospital [TGH].  Heart Transplant Support Group.  They host an annual Christmas party.  This year's party was at TGH & was very inspirational.  HeartLinks is responsible for hosting such events, hosting speakers & helping raise funds to support the group and to support the fundraising goals of Dr. Heather Ross.

My parents, John & Mary, Michael & I attended the party.  We had a chance to mingle & catch up with familiar faces & meet new ones!  At six weeks post-transplant, Michael was not the most recent heart transplant.  Michael received his heart on October 27th whereas the newest newby had received his heart on November 1!  The party was very motivating, emotional, & inpsiring!  Our dad rang in as the third longest transplant who was in attendance at the party.  He feel behind two others, one at eighteen years & another at seventeen years.  Seeing a room over healthy, successful heart transplant patients was just what the doctor ordered!


Isn't this a lovely bunch?  With the exception of Dr. Rao, each
one of these gorgeous faces
has received a donor heart.  The three ladies on the bottom left
each have LVAD's [mechanical hearts] and are waiting for
their transplants.

Michael with one of his doctors & nurse practioners. 
They couldn't believe how much colour he had in his face & how awake he was : )
                                                       

Monday, December 6, 2010

Warm, beating hearts offer new hope for transplants

 

Andrea Ybarra is prepared for biopsy

Doctors testing experimental technique that eliminates mad rush to ship organs


LOS ANGELES – Andrea Ybarra's donated heart was beating rhythmically by the time she awoke from the grogginess of her surgery.
Lub-dub. Lub-dub. Lub-dub. In fact, it was warm and pumping even before doctors transplanted it.
Ybarra belongs to a small group of people who have had a "beating heart" transplant, an experimental operation that's mostly been done in Europe. The donor heart is placed into a special box that feeds it blood and keeps it warm and ticking outside the body.
"I felt peaceful when I woke up. I wasn't scared," recalled the 40-year-old from a Los Angeles suburb who suffers from lupus. "It felt like the heart was a part of me all the time."
Despite advances in heart transplantation, the way hearts are moved around the United States and most places remains low-tech.
A team of doctors and organ recovery specialists stuffs an off-the-shelf picnic cooler with ice and jets off at odd hours to a donor hospital where a heart from a brain-dead patient awaits. They inject a chemical to stop the organ and preserve it in the ice chest for the trip home.
Once a heart is harvested, it's a race against time. A heart can stay fresh in the cooler for 4 to 6 hours before it starts to deteriorate. Because of this constraint, doctors can't travel too far to heart-hunt.
It's been done this way for more than four decades, ever since the first U.S. heart transplant was performed on Dec. 6, 1967.
Research has shown that the longer it takes to remove a heart and transplant it, the greater the patient's chance of death or heart disease.
But what if a heart could beat on its own after removal from a cadaver?
It may sound a bit macabre, more like an Edgar Allan Poe story. The new high-tech heart box circulates blood from the donor to the heart so that it continues throbbing while in transit from hospital to hospital.
Based on some success overseas, the University of California, Los Angeles is currently heading an experiment along with several other schools that compares the safety and effectiveness of the new preservation method versus the standard cooler.
If the new technology succeeds in preserving hearts longer, it could change the field, experts say.
No longer will patients be limited by location. Doctors could make cross-country heart runs without worrying about how long it takes. Hearts are now given first to people on the waiting list who live near where the donor is hospitalized. If there's no match, then the circle widens until a recipient is found.
"The rush factor will be taken out. I can go all the way to the West Coast to get a heart," said Dr. Bruce Rosengard of Massachusetts General Hospital, who performed the first beating heart transplant in the United Kingdom in 2006.
It may also potentially help ease the organ shortage crisis. Some 3,000 Americans are currently on the heart transplant waiting list. Last year, 359 died waiting for a heart — almost one person a day.
The thinking is that hearts may be in better condition if they're kept beating instead of being cooled in ice. And if hearts can be monitored outside the body, proponents say this may help increase the organ pool by allowing less-than-perfect hearts to be transplanted.
Ybarra's surgery began like any other. The call came in to Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center shortly before 4 p.m. on Aug. 24. There is a heart available. Do you have a match?
The transplant team dialed Ybarra. Her lupus, an immune system disease in which the body attacks its own organs, had ravaged her heart, leaving it enlarged and weak. She desperately needed a transplant.
The following day, a brigade of doctors and technicians set off before dawn by limo to the Van Nuys Airport to board a private jet to the donor hospital in the Palm Springs area east of Los Angeles.
Since Ybarra signed up to be part of the beating heart experiment, she had a 50-50 chance of having the new operation.
Before the team left, a nurse practitioner drew a card at random: Ybarra was getting the experimental heart transplant.
The doctors arrived at the donor hospital at 6:20 a.m. and cut open the patient's chest an hour later. After examining the heart, they stopped it to remove it. Instead of packing the heart on ice, doctors transferred it to a box filled with blood and nutrients to revive it. The box was then tucked inside a portable machine for transport.
On the way back to UCLA, the heart was closely checked to make sure it was stable.
In the meantime, Ybarra was wheeled into the operating room and put under. She was placed on a heart-lung machine as doctors took out her failing heart. The new one was ticking nearby. Surgeons re-stopped the donor heart and sewed it into Ybarra. As her own blood coursed through, it began to pound.
All told, the donated heart had been beating in the box for a little over three hours.
If a heart can survive outside the body longer than the current limit, heart transplants may someday be less an emergency procedure and more like an appointment that can be scheduled — a convenience for both patients and doctors.
"If you knew an organ could be preserved, instead of doing a transplant at 3 a.m., you can push it back to 6 a.m.," said UCLA's Dr. Richard Shemin, who performed Ybarra's operation on his 39th wedding anniversary.
The world's first beating heart transplant was performed in Germany in 2006, using an organ box invented by TransMedics Inc., a private medical device company in Andover, Mass., as part of a multi-center study in Europe.
The company followed up with a pilot study in the U.S. It is currently funding the UCLA-led experiment, which will enroll 128 patients nationwide, randomly chosen to get a beating heart transplant or the traditional kind.
About 100 patients, mostly in Europe, have had a beating heart transplant, according to TransMedics.
Early signs from two European experiments involving 54 patients are encouraging. There has been 97 percent survival a month after the operation and few episodes of rejection and heart-related complications. But since there were no comparison groups in either study, it's impossible to know whether a beating heart transplant is actually better.
The current U.S. study is the first to test the methods head-to-head.
Doctors admit some patients are spooked by the idea of a heart beating on its own before the transplant.
"It's very difficult to remedy their anxiety. But when you think about it, the human heart was never meant to be in a cooler on ice," said lead investigator Dr. Abbas Ardehali of UCLA. TransMedics paid his travel expenses to a medical meeting, but he does not have other financial ties to the company.
Transplant doctors with no connection to the research note that the current system works despite the antiquated way hearts are carted around. Before beating heart transplants can be routine, researchers must not only prove that the technology can preserve hearts better and longer, but that recipients also have improved survival and health than if they had a regular heart transplant.
"In theory, it's a fabulous idea," said Dr. Stuart Russell, heart transplant chief at Johns Hopkins University. But more data is needed to determine whether "it will or won't fly."
There's also the issue of cost. A typical heart transplant in the U.S. costs about $787,000 including hospital stay and anti-rejection drugs. An Igloo cooler costs $35 compared with the heart box, which is sold in Europe for about $200,000. The interior is not reusable so there's an added expense each time a hospital does such an operation.
Like other transplant recipients, Ybarra was monitored closely after her August surgery to make sure her body wasn't rejecting the foreign organ. Her health slowly improved. She could walk around the block without getting tired — a small victory for someone who couldn't even take a few steps before.
During a recent checkup in October, Ybarra laid on a table as a doctor snaked a thin tube into her jugular vein and removed small pieces of her heart for a biopsy. She then walked over to her cardiologist's office where she got the scabs on her chest checked out.
Her last stop was getting an echocardiogram, a sonogram of the heart.
It looked normal.

******This article was taken from**** http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20101205/ap_on_he_me/us_med_beating_heart_transplants

Saturday, December 4, 2010

Lists

The poster family for organ donation...                        


Up to date Ontario transplant statistics taken from the Trillium Gift of Life Network:

         Organ             Waiting          Transplanted

  Liver                        242               197 [39 were from living donors]
  Heart                      61                  62
  Kidney                    1085              484 [198 were from living donors]
  Lung                        60                 79
  Heart Lung              1                    1
  Pancreas                20                  14
  Small Bowel            3                    0
  Kidney Pancreas 48                  19


***please forgive the misalignment of the above numbers, I've tried to straightened them without success***


Michael was heart transplant twenty-one at Toronto General for 2010.  At one point transplant patients were told their "number".  For instance, my dad was the 223rd heart transplant performed at Toronto General Hospital.  In 2008, the Heart Transplant Team of the Multi-Organ Transplant Program at Toronto General Hospital celebrated their 500th heart transplant!


http://www.giftoflife.on.ca/
http://www.tgwhf-uhn.ca/munk/news_media.asp

Monday, November 29, 2010

David Foster aims to boost organ donation


"Music icon David Foster visited sick children in Toronto on Friday to help raise awareness of the need for organ donation." For over 20 years, David Foster has been raising awareness & funds for organ donation. The David Foster Foundation assists families with non-medical expenses.


Read more: http://www.cbc.ca/arts/music/story/2010/11/19/foster-organ-donation.html#socialcomments#ixzz16gg9oSPR


CBC News - Music - David Foster aims to boost organ donations

Saturday, November 27, 2010

Happy Transplanniversary!

                       This is a photo of Michael, his wife, Dr. Cusimano, & I


Today marks the one month anniversary of Michael's heart transplant.  It was the 12:30 a.m. on October 27th that Michael was wheeled to the OR.  The heart arrived at 1 a.m. & surgery lasted until approximately 6:30 a.m.

The above photo was taken just after Dr. Cusimano told Michael that the matching donor heart was good & had him sign off on the surgery paperwork.  Dr. Cusimano is the same surgeon who performed my dad's hearth reduction and heart transplant in May, 1997.  He is a phenomenally skilled doctor with impeccable and very caring bedside manner.  He was very patient with all of our family's questions & really took time to explain things thoroughly.

Yesterday, Michael received the results of his fourth biopsy.  It came back with zero rejection and his prednisone to was reduced again to 15 mls, once a day [his third biopsy had mild rejection & his meds remained the same].  Michael also has some fluid around his heart, likely due to the fact that his new heart fills a smaller space than his original.  His ejection fraction was recorded at 60% [normal].

Friday, November 26, 2010

3 Hearts, 2 Lungs, 1 Goal

Brian Barndt, heart transplant



On November 13th, Brian Barndt, Kyle Garrett & Canadian Mark Black particpated in Wilmongton, North Carolina's Beach to Battleship Triathalon.  They dubbed themsleves The Tin Men.  Brian Barndt & Kyle Garrett are both Americans who recieved heart transplants.  Brian is also an award winner in the Transplant Games.  Mark Black is a Canadian who received a double lung and heart transplant.  Garrett ran the biking leg, Black was the distance runner, and Barndt competed in his favorite element: the water.

Obviously, transplantation doesn't need to slow one done...

The odd Michael connection here is that he & his family visited the Wilmington Battleship two years ago.  I'll be sure to post some photos of him beside the big guns : )

http://www.wral.com/lifestyles/healthteam/story/8607981/

Monday, November 22, 2010

Transplant A Success After Crash

                            The aircraft burst into flames after landing in fog

Birmingham Airport was shut November 19th due to a crash of a private aircraft that was carrying a liver for transplant to Queen Elizabeth Hospital. The aircraft was traveling from Belfast to Birmingham.  Two men are recovering after the crash. The silver-lining is that liver was indeed transplanted successfully!

This brings me to reflect on the number of people it takes to pull together a transplant.  Aircraft personal are just two of the vast number.  My brother's heart was also flown in, to Toronto.  October 26th, 2010 was a stormy night in Ontario.  His transplant was delayed by three hours as the aircraft had diffiuculty with take-off.  With only an eight hour window to get the donor organ into a donor recipient, timing was tight.  Let's not foget the pilots who likely risked their lives to ensure Michael's organ arrived in time! Thanks xo



http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-11802997

Thursday, November 18, 2010

Life from Death


Sadly, the teenage daughter of NHL Ottawa Senators' assistant coach, Luke Richardson, committed suicide at the age of fourteen.  In their time of grief, the family chose to donate Daron's organs soon after her death. Four people have benefited from transplants as a result.  Luke Richardson and family have given life in a time when their family has experienced death. Their thoughtfulness and generosity will never be forgotten by the four people who received her organs and their immediate and extended family members who still have their loved ones in their lives.  Just as I will always be thankful for the kind decision made by the donor families who are responsible for giving my father and brother their lives back.

Sadly, "organ donation in Ontario is low and it's even lower in the GTA, where four million eligible residents have not registered consent for organs and fewer than 550,000 have - slightly more than one citizen in eight" (Toronto Star, November 12, 2010).

Sign your organ donor card and register your wishes at http://www.giftoflife.on.ca/.

Monday, November 15, 2010

Signed, sealed & delivered

 It took me a while to realize that these were Dr. Cusimano's initials on my brother's chest.  He put them there after telling him that the heart was on the way & signing the paperwork.

At first glance, this appears to be a scribble.  However, upon closer inspection I realized that it was Dr. Cusimano's initials.  I suppose this is done to verify that you've got the correct patient in the correct OR!

Currently, Michael is going for weekly biopsies.  He's had two now & both came back with zero rejection!  Dr. Delgado reminded him that at some point he will have rejection.  This will likely be able to be managed with medications [they are a fine balance!].

Sunday, November 7, 2010

Knitting Hearts


Yesterday, a lovely group of knitters gathered at the Knit Cafe in Toronto to knit hearts! We chatted organ donation, knit for organ donation, drank hot chocolate & ate quiche & croissants. It was a lovely morning/early afternoon. A special thanks to Robbie for helping co-ordinate & rounding up some fantastic & friendly knitters! All knit hearts will be donated to the Toronto General Heart Links Annual Craft & Bake Sale which is happening Thursday, November 18th, 2010.

Heart Links is fantastic group which supports recipients of heart transplants. In addition to sending out a newsletter four times a year, they co-ordinate a variety of events such as talks [i.e., physical activity & recovery] and social events like the upcoming Christmas party.

It was super fun to spend time with my mom in a fun & productive way. She also learned how to knit on four needles today. Woo hoo!

Saturday, November 6, 2010

Welcome Home!

After picking up his medication from the hospital pharmacy, Michael was able to return home! The grand entrance happened around 4:30 p.m. on Friday, November 5th which was Day Nine post-surgery. The highlight of his first evening home was dinner with the family & a hot shower!

Prior to being released from the hospital, staff had to ensure he was well-versed in taking his anti-rejection medications. Along with information in the heart transplant manual [yes, there is such a thing!], Michael had to watch a video on accessing Easy Call [heart transplant staff/patient communication line] and demonstrate knowledge of administering his own medications.

Big plans for today...having the luxury of lounging at home! Shouldn't every Saturday allow that?

Big smiles : )

Monday, November 1, 2010

Post-Operative Days 1-5

Here is a photograph of the miracle boys!  It's the McBride father/son transplant team!

The last five days have been incredible!  Michael's recovery has been so inspiring!  Here's the lowdown:

DAY ONE - Thursday
A mere 30 or hours or so after receiving the transplant Michael sat up, with his legs hanging over the edge of the bed.  His breathing tube was removed the night before.  Hands & feet are warm.  Amazing!

DAY TWO - Friday
We arrived at the hospital to find Michael sitting in a chair!  Pre-transplant his original heart was pumping 1.4 litres of blood with each beat.  On Day One, it was pumping 4.3 litres of blood.  Today it was pumping 2.8 litres of blood with each pump.  With medication, his blood pressure was 110/71.  The doctors are happy with his progress.

DAY THREE - Saturday
Can you believe, he took a walk around the nurse's station?  Swan catheter removed.  Michael really seems to be motoring along with his recovery!  We have much to celebrate!

DAY FOUR - Sunday
Michael was able to be wheeled out of CVICU so he could see his children in their Halloween costumes.  A happy time for all!

DAY FIVE- Monday
Today Michael was moved to the 10th floor - the transplant ICU.  He is still receiving an intense level of care.  However, these nurses don't specialize in cardiac care, rather transplant in general - usually hearts, lungs, kidneys & livers.  His blood pressure was on the lower side - 103/63 without medication.  Michael was very cognizant & lucid tonight.  He was also very grateful for receiving the organ & having this life-saving opportunity [as we all are!].

Friday, October 29, 2010

The heart arrives!

Thumbs up before leaving for the OR

October 27th is now circled on our family's calendar with lots of bright red ink!  It is the day my brother received his new heart!

The donor heart arrived just before 1 a.m. and the surgery was finally completed at 6:15 a.m.  The original, enlarged, sick heart was replaced a better , stronger model!  There was a total of ten medical staff in the operating room, eleven if you include the patient!  The surgery was a huge success! Our fingers are crossed for a smooth recovery!

Our family has now been doubly blessed by the generosity of others and the gift of life.