‘MY LIFE--SAVING VALENTINE’S GIFT’
THANKS TO A STRANGER’S INCREDIBLE GENEROSITY, A HEART TRANSPLANT ON FEBRUARY 14 SAVED KATRINA’S LIFE
Katrina Rehlaender was at home munching on a salad sandwich when the phone rang and her life changed – for the first time.
It was 1993, and the call came much quicker than her family expected. Just two weeks earlier, 11-year-old Katrina – originally from Adelaide, SA – had joined a waiting list for a new heart.
“I was born with a hole
in my heart, which was discovered when I was 3,” Katrina, now 40 and living in Brisbane, tells New Idea.
“Mum and Dad noticed I wasn’t as energetic as other kids and doctors eventually found the hole. I was 5 when I received a pacemaker.
“I had a cardiac arrest a few times before that – once Dad revived me. Having the pacemaker was major surgery, but it made such a difference. Finally, my family could go camping in our Kombi van and I could go to school with my friends like a normal kid.”
By the time she was 11, the batteries in Katrina’s pacemaker needed replacing. But during surgery she unknowingly contracted an MRSA infection (golden staph), and in the following months her health declined.
“Not so much was known about golden staph then and it took six months to work out why I was getting sicker. I had no energy and I became anorexic, and only 60 per cent of my heart muscle worked,” Katrina recalls.
“So, Mum and Dad explained that I needed a heart transplant. My only question was: ‘Will it make me feel better?’ That was all I wanted – I was missing out on school, playing with my friends and being at family events.”
On February 13, 1993, Katrina’s family received the call from the Royal Children’s Hospital in Melbourne.
They had a heart.
An excited Katrina and her mum, Sue, immediately flew to Melbourne on Valentine’s Day. The eight-hour operation was a success.
Katrina then spent a week in intensive care and was joined by her dad, Rainer, and brother, Marcus, who encouraged her as she gently rebuilt her strength. Months and years passed, and Katrina made the most of each day.
“I saw the Colosseum in Rome, spent my 30th birthday in Thailand, went skiing in Japan and did a big European tour. Dad was born in Munich, and it was very special to go and see the apartment where he grew up. I worked in different parts of Australia – for a couple of years I worked on the remotest mine site in Australia, about 500km outside of Alice Springs,” says Katrina.
In 2011, mutual friends introduced Katrina to fiancé Steven Sherwell, 47.
“Steve was in Perth and I was there for work. He came to my hotel to take me to dinner and when
I opened the door, it was love at first sight,” she says.
Yet, once again, Katrina’s heart health began to fail. Years of antirejection medication took a toll, and in 2012, Katrina began experiencing chest pain. Repeated blockages in her main artery required more surgeries, but in August 2019, Katrina was on the heart transplant waiting list again.
In February 2020, Katrina was at home in beachside Victoria when her phone rang. It was 2am. The Alfred Hospital transplant team in
‘I WILL ALWAYS BE GRATEFUL TO THE FAMILIES WHO GAVE ME LIFE’
Melbourne had a donor heart.
“I said goodbye to my dog, called my family and sent a message to my colleagues – ‘Sorry, I won’t be in today. On my way to get a heart transplant,’” says Katrina.
After six hours in theatre, Katrina emerged with another healthy heart. She left hospital after only eight days – an Australian record, but she and Steve then isolated for months due to the risks posed by COVID. In October, they moved to Queensland to be close to brother Marcus, his wife, Mel, and their kids, Astrid, 18, and Max, 3.
Katrina takes 40 tablets a day to avoid her heart being rejected, but is happy. “Steve and I go out for dinner, take drives along the coast and spend time with
family,” she says.
On her 40th birthday, Steve proposed with a pink diamond ring, and they are now planning a November wedding.
Always in Katrina’s mind are the families who have given her two chances at life. She is hoping to connect with the family of her recent donor.
“Whenever I looked in the mirror, I saw the face of a young woman. I wonder if it was the face of the donor,” says Katrina. “I will always be grateful to the families who have given me the most beautiful gift.”