Grandad saved after double lung transplant
A BLACK Country great-grandfather, who underwent a life-saving double lung transplant, has raised thousands of pounds for the two hospitals that saved his life.
Michael Willis survived a rare condition called sarcoidosis, which made his lungs slowly turn solid, ‘as if they were turning to stone’.
Mr Willis and his family have now hosted a fundraising dinner to raise money for City Hospital in Birmingham and the Royal Papworth Hospital in Cambridge, who carried out his life-saving treatment.
Mr Willis and wife Patricia are keen to raise awareness about organ donation in the black and Asian communities, where donor rates are very low.
“The support has been overwhelming,” said 60-year-old Michael, who raised more than £5,000 at the event.
“I am here today all because of the dedicated clinicians, my family, friends, and especially the organ donor.
“And as a family, we feel that we now have the responsibility to continue to raise awareness of how organ donation can make such a difference, especially to black, asian and minority ethnic communities.
“We know that on average, patients from these communities in England will wait a year longer for a kidney transplant than a white patient, due to the lack of suitable organs.
“We hope that by having our community together at the event, we are able to spread the word about the impact of organ donation on individuals and their family and encourage more people to become organ donors.”
Consultant respiratory physician Dr Arvind Rajasekaran from City Hospital, who cared for Michael, said: “It was an honour to be at the event that Michael and his wife, Patricia, organised.
“When Michael first came to us, he was very ill, he couldn’t walk very far and he relied on breathing machines most of the time.
“At that point, I decided that the only way to save Michael was for him to have a double lung transplant.
“He was then referred to the Royal Papworth Hospital, where the team was able to find him a match. It’s such a privilege to see Michael walk about freely and enjoy his life.”