Organ donation: giving, taking and waiting
To open ‘Life out of Death’, a special series examining organ donation, Aaron Leaman meets three Kiwis touched by donation in different ways.
Grateful for a second chance
Waiting to get a new heart is a bit like marathon running, reckons Mike Ngatai.
You have to be in top shape and pace yourself.
Ngatai, 57, was told in March he would need a new heart following a spell in hospital.
A genetic condition has caused his heart to become enlarged. Latest tests show his heart has turned to one side.
Three of his brothers also carry the gene.
‘‘One of my younger brothers, Neville, has already had a heart transplant. Eventually all four of us boys will need a new heart.’’
Ngatai doesn’t know when he’ll receive his new heart. He tries not to dwell on things he can’t control.
‘‘At the moment I’m just focused on keeping fit and staying positive. I know the hard work will come after I get my new heart. There’s going to be pain but I’m ready for it.’’
Ngatai ran his last marathon seven years ago but has kept his running shoes.
He hopes to put them on again and has set his sights on competing at the World Transplant Games one day.
A lot of people have told Ngatai they feel sorry for him, and that the cards dealt to him were unfair.
Ngatai disagrees. He sees himself as fortunate.
‘‘I feel grateful I have this opportunity for a second chance at life. I’ve never lost sight of the fact that someone out there is giving me a new life, whoever that may be. Without a new heart, Neville wouldn’t be here. It’s an amazing gift we’re being given.’’
As for his old heart, Ngatai hopes others can benefit from it.
‘‘Once it’s removed I thought about bringing it back home to New Lynn and burying it. But what I really want is to be able to help others so that’s why I’ve decided to donate it to science. It’s pretty broken but hopefully they can help others by studying it.’’
Life on the outside
As a young teen, Oli Polson’s world was often framed by the four walls of a hospital room.
An immune deficiency disorder ravaged his liver and left his life in the balance.
The same disorder claimed the lives of his younger brother, Jack, and older sister, Jane.
At age 14, Polson received a double transplant - first liver, then bone marrow.
‘‘Prior to the operation I pretty much didn’t have a life outside hospital,’’ Polson recalls.
‘‘I was constantly unwell with all sorts of conditions. If you can name it, I probably caught it.’’
While on the waiting list, Polson and his parents had to stay within a three-hour drive of Auckland at all times.
Polson received his double transplant in 2000. At the time it was only the sixth time the procedure had been tried worldwide.
His liver came from a donor in Western Australia via a private jet.
He was rolled into theatre as the plane carrying the liver circled Auckland Airport.
Post-surgery, Polson leads an active life. The 32-year-old’s pasttimes include rock climbing, tramping and caving.
He is also a founding member of the New Zealand Canyoning Association.
Polson’s view of organ donation is shaped by his own experience.
‘‘My life used to exist within a very small bubble and now everything’s been opened up to me. Organ donation is a touchy subject but the choice you make can affect a lot of people. It’s just too important not to have that discussion with your family.’’
A special bond
In her own words, Sandy Kitchener is a pragmatist.
In March, she donated a kidney to her partner of 20 years, David Stewart. It was a decision she describes as a ‘‘no-brainer’’.
Although camera-shy, the 51-year-old is happy to talk about her decision - and about living life with one kidney.
‘‘Everyone is different but to be absolutely honest I don’t feel any different. I can’t tell you if they actually left it [kidney] in or whether it was all a gag.’’
Health Ministry data show there was 82 live kidney donors in 2016, up from 74 the year before.
Live donors make up about half of the 172 kidneys donated last year.
Kitchener went through six months of testing before donating her kidney, including two sessions with a counsellor.
Her kidney was taken out on a Wednesday and she was home by Friday. Two weeks later she was back at work.
The hardest part was telling her parents about her decision.
‘‘I didn’t know how they would react but they were really supportive and came and helped man the fort and did all the driving. If they hadn’t been supportive, things might have been different.’’
For Stewart, the surgery was life-changing, as Kitchener’s donated kidney quickly took over from his failing pair.
While Stewart acknowledges the significance of his partner’s gesture, he says the donation hasn’t changed their relationship.
‘‘Someone once said I owe Sandy because she gave me a kidney but I don’t see it that way,’’ Stewart said.
‘‘It wasn’t given conditionally. That’s not what our relationship is about.’’