When his sister needed an emergency transplant, running enthusiast Don Hannon didn't hesitate, despite the serious risks to his own health.Now he's running again – this time to encourage others to donate
“I remember the surgeon saying to me, 'Don, this is cutting open a healthy body, which goes against everything I stand for,'” the 45-year-old recalls. “But the end goal was what we both were striving for.”
The ultimate goal was to ensure that Don's sister Therese, 50, had a healthy liver. This mother of two had a rare disease called primary biliary cholangitis (PBC). PBC is a type of liver disease caused by damage to the bile ducts of the liver, which affects the function of the organ.
The cause of PBC is unknown, but it is thought to be related to the body's immune system. Fifteen years ago, Therese underwent a transplant, but her disease returned and she urgently needed another transplant to save her life.
“I knew she was sick, but one day she called me out of the blue and said, 'She's coming to Birmingham and there's a possibility of a living donor liver transplant,'” Don said. To tell. “She had never heard of it before, so her first reaction was, 'But then her liver would be gone!'” But she knew it would grow back. He explained. I was shocked at first, but quickly replied, “Whatever you need.”
Although living kidney donation is becoming more common in Ireland, with 51 of the 190 kidney transplants last year coming from living donors, living liver donation is the only procedure performed in Irish hospitals. do not have. Professor Jim Egan, director of HSE Organ Donation and Transplant Ireland, said: “No transplants are taking place in Ireland because the waiting list for liver transplants is covered by the standard donation amount.” In 2017, 61 liver transplants were performed in the country, all of which used livers from deceased donors.
Don visited Birmingham's Queen Elizabeth Hospital, one of seven transplant centers in the UK with a living donation programme. Don, who works as a running coach and builder, was the 27th person at the hospital to receive a living donor liver. Half of his liver was removed and used to replace Thérèse's diseased organ. He said one reason this surgery is rare is because it's difficult to establish a good match, but another is that it's a surgery that carries considerable risks for the donor.
Don underwent six months of tests to see if he was suitable for Thérèse and whether he was physically able to endure the surgery, which could last up to 12 hours. He also spent three hours with a psychologist researching his life history and answering difficult questions.
“It was all a 'what if' thing,” Don says. “What if the surgery isn't successful? How would I feel about that? How would I feel if one of the outcomes was never being able to run again?”
The liver has unique regenerative abilities and is one of the few organs that can be donated by a living donor. However, this is a significantly riskier procedure than the more common living kidney donor transplant.
Studies have shown that the risk of donor death in living donor liver transplants is 1 in 200 to 500, compared to approximately 1 in 1,700 in living kidney transplants.
There are also many potential problems for those receiving a transplant (from a deceased or living donor). “Two of the most common complications after liver transplantation are rejection and infection,” explains Dr Masood Iqbal, Consultant Hepatologist at the Beacon Hospital and Liver Unit at St Vincent's University Hospital.
“There are risks associated with the surgery itself, including leakage, bleeding, infection, and biliary complications such as hepatic artery thrombosis. There are also risks with the immunosuppressive drugs used to prevent rejection.”
“They explained that I could die and asked how my family would feel if something happened to me,” Don added. He had to explain what would happen to his two children, Ellie (now 15) and Don (12). “They weren't really afraid because they were young at the time. They loved their aunt Thérèse and understood what it was all about.”
In the lead-up to surgery, he was given multiple chances to change his mind. “He had to laugh,” he says with a laugh. “Everyone from the anesthesiologist to the surgeon to the nurses kept saying, 'If we're not happy with you at any stage, even if it's 10 minutes in advance, we'll fix it.' But… I was never tempted. Therese and Therese I always knew she was sick and had almost died the Christmas before. I have a husband and a family. If I had a chance to make her feel better, I would do it.”
Liver transplant surgery has a very high success rate in Ireland, with a one-year survival rate of 93% and a five-year survival rate of 80%. Data from other countries shows that people who receive a liver from a living donor have a slightly higher short-term survival rate, but this is because recipients don't have to wait as long for a donor and are therefore less likely to have their liver transplanted. This may be the cause. Like a disease.
Although Don and Therese's surgery was successful, Don's recovery was not as fast as his sister's. “The surgeon said to me, “Thérèse will be fine. When you transplant a healthy liver into a diseased body, it will soon recover greatly and you will begin to feel better.'' Sure enough, Thérèse was my ward. I remember her coming in and calling me a big slut!'' He said with a laugh, “She was great, but the early years were just hell for me.'' Told.
Ironically, Don's condition became even worse because he was at the peak of his health. “The doctor said he should actually gain a little more weight so he could stretch a little more,” he explains. “Instead, they had to cut three inches of muscle, so every time I moved it hurt.” He lost 10kg in four days, spent 14 days in hospital, and then moved to Dublin, where his mother He recuperated for three months at his home. “For about three months I was incapacitated. I couldn't run a 24-hour race, I couldn't walk down the stairs.”
Gradually things returned to normal. Within four months he was able to ride a bicycle again. Nearly two years later, he believes he is back to 70 per cent of his pre-surgery fitness and this weekend he sets out on a trek across Ireland to raise awareness of organ donation.
“Thérèse was lucky,” Don says. “However, many people die waiting for organs, and educating people about how the organ donation process works is a major challenge.”
With a 12-day run that began on Saturday, he hopes to encourage 1,000 people to become organ donors. His progress along the 930km route from Ballycastle, Co. Antrim to Castletownbear, Co. Cork can be tracked at runningdonor.com.
“For the next two to three months, my sister called me at least once a week and said, ‘You saved my life,’” Don says. “It's amazing to hear and it's hard to hear. I would have laughed and tried to ignore it, but I think that's what happened. It took a while to recover, but it's It's over and the end result is what matters. Therese is amazing.''I have no regrets now. ”
Organ Donor Awareness Week runs through April 7th. The key message is to carry your organ donor card so you can display code 115 on your driver's license.
