‘My body is eating itself’
AT 27, and with a flourishing legal career, Michael Burrows was, by his own admission, “living the dream”.
But on Boxing Day 2013, the Tweed Heads man’s world was turned on its head.
Struck down with severe stomach pains, seemingly out of nowhere, the lawyer ended up in intensive care for two weeks.
What has followed is a fouryear medical nightmare that has stripped 30kgs from his frame, left him in constant agony and struggling to even hug his fiancee Cara Kusco or his stepdaughter Ameira.
“The pain is unbearable,” he said. “I feel like I’m being stabbed in the sternum with giant swords.”
Doctors diagnosed acute pancreatitis, which became chronic. But the real mystery is why.
Usually, pancreatitis is the result of heavy drinking or a gene defect but in some cases – including Mr Burrows’ – the cause remains unknown.
“My pancreas is basically trying to digest itself, and is now 30-40 per cent of the size
it should be,” Mr Burrows said.
Forced to quit work, he now lives on a diet of shakes and medication, as eating is too painful.
His only hope of a pain-free life is radical surgery; a marathon, 12-hour operation that has only been attempted a handful of times. Mr Burrows feels he has no choice.
It involves removing his pancreas and spleen. His digestive system will then be reconstructed and his insulin producing cells from the harvested pancreas, will be transplanted into his liver.
The surgery, which will allow his liver to produce insulin, could leave him diabetic.
“The surgery is new in Australia, it’s complicated and will basically leave me with a hybrid liver,” he said.
“It’s risky and my goal is to be insulin free but if I have to inject twice a day that’s still better than constant pain.”
His surgery is set to take place at the end of this month at the Royal Adelaide Hospital with a team of local physicians, and specialists as well as experts flown from overseas.
The National Geographic Channel will also be filming the surgery as part of its Medical Miracles series.
Speaking ahead of the surgery physician Professor Patrick (Toby) Coates at the Royal Adelaide Hospital said Mr Burrows’ case was severe.
Prof Coates, the director of South Australia’s first nationally funded centre for islet transplantation, said the surgery to transplant the islets, or cells, from the pancreas into another part of the body had only been performed a handful of times in Australia.
The operation is not funded by Medicare and Mr Burrows has launched a gofundme page to help with medical and recovery costs, which has so far raised half of his $50,000 expenses.