A gift of life, to last a lifetime
The liver is the most amazing organ. It can be severely damaged and still be able to regenerate itself and function perfectly normally afterwards.
Yet, if it starts to malfunction, it can cause irreparable damage to other organs of the body, especially the kidneys. A rare hereditary condition of the liver, at least in this country, called fibrinogen A α-chain amyloidosis (AFib) has exactly that effect – and, to date, no cure has been found for it.
On New Year’s Day 2010, Pringle Bay resident, Nicola Lloyd made a New Year’s resolution: she had been feeling extremely tired for a long while, so she resolved to find the time to visit her GP for a thorough check-up as early as possible in the new year. The blood tests indicated raised protein levels. When the doctor took her history and discovered that her British-born father had died at the relatively early age of 66 of undefined kidney failure, he wasted no time in referring her to a nephrologist, who ordered further tests.
When the diagnosis of AFib came back and the consequences were explained to Nicola, she couldn’t believe her ears. The proteins produced by her liver were forming a layer of plaque which was clogging the kidneys and in due course, she, too, was likely to experience complete kidney failure. Drug treatment in the UK over the next few years did not succeed in halting the progress of the disease and eventually, the only option was a liver transplant.
Already registered as an organ donor in South Africa, Nicola had never imagined that she might need to become a beneficiary herself. Her name was placed at the top of the list of recipients for a liver transplant at the Wits Donald Gordon Medical Centre, the only facility in South Africa currently conducting liver transplants.
One morning in December 2018, six months after her name was added to the list, she received the call. By 14:00 that afternoon she was in Johannesburg and the necessary tests for compatibility with the donor organ, which had been flown in from Cape Town, were carried out. With a window of only about six hours from the harvesting of the organ to implantation in a recipient, the operation took place immediately.
Although in some cases, it may be possible to transplant only a portion of the liver, which in time would regenerate itself, in her case, a full organ transplant was necessary. “It was a huge and incredibly risky operation,” says Nicola, “but, of course, the greatest danger is that the body will reject the new organ afterwards. I was in the hospital for 10 days and had to stay on in Johannesburg for two-and-a-half more months to check that the level of the immuno-suppressants was correct.
“It’s a long journey to full recovery and I still have to go up every three months for check-ups, but there has been a huge amount of progress in the development of immunosuppressants over the past 10 years or so. What can I say, it’s been brilliant. I no longer have AFib and here I am after less than nine months living a pretty-well normal life. Pam Golding Properties were good enough to keep my job open for me and the experience has brought so many good people into my life.
“But most of all, I just don’t know how to express my thanks to that anonymous donor, who gave me a new chance at life and then of course to all the doctors and staff at the Donald Gordon Medical Centre. They have been more than wonderful.”
Although the donor’s identity is not revealed to the beneficiary, Nicola did write a letter of gratitude to the family, which was passed on to them. “I think in a strange way in the midst of great tragedy, family members sometimes see this as a way of extending a loved one’s life, in someone else’s body.”
Unfortunately, in this country, there are never enough organs to meet the desperate need for transplants. Nicola is living proof of what this gift can mean. Although it is possible for donors to specify which organs they would like to give, in theory, one donor could save seven lives, with donations of the heart, pancreas, liver, two kidneys and two lungs, let alone tissue, bones and corneas. Anyone is eligible to become a donor, no matter what age, unless they have a chronic, degenerative disease.
South African medical science has led the way in transplant surgery, from Prof Chris Barnard and his team of heart surgeons to the brilliant Dr Bert Myburgh who was recognised worldwide for his pioneering work in liver and kidney transplants. Nicola is still a registered donor herself and she agrees with the Organ Donor Foundation that it is a conversation all South Africans should have with their family members. The Foundation would be happy to answer any questions members of the public may have about the procedure and would happily assist with registration as an organ donor.
The Organ Donor Foundation helpline number is 0800 22 66 11.