Early heart transplant recipient shares his story

Margaret Hawkins talks to the longest-surviving heart transplant recipient in Ireland – GPO employee, Andy Kavanagh – about why it is important to have that conversation

Andy Kavanagh works on the parcel counter in the GPO in O’Connell Street, Dublin and handles many parcels being sent as gifts around the world. In May 1986 he received a major gift of his own – in the form of a heart transplant.

He was 18-years-old at the time and a flu virus had weakened his heart muscle to the point where his life was at risk.

He only realises now, however, talking about the transplant, how sick he really was at that time.

“It’s only looking back now that I’m reflecting on how ill I was. You take it for granted in a way when you are well but as you get older you see what you went through.”

I was a normal teenager growing up, into all sorts of sports, but the virus attacked the muscles of my heart

“Cardio transplant is basically a heart from somebody else going into your own body,” he says before explaining how he had never been sick a day in his life before he got the flu virus at the age of 18.

“I was a normal teenager growing up, into all sorts of sports, but the virus attacked the muscles of my heart. I had flu symptoms for six or seven weeks and a cough that wouldn’t clear up. My GP sent me to Jervis Street Hospital for a chest x-ray and on the way home I collapsed.”

The next thing Andy remembers is waking up in an intensive care unit in the same hospital.

“It was a case then of being sent on to the Mater Hospital for more tests, including an angiogram, ECG and a stress test.”

My two surgeons told me that the only thing that would cure me was a cardiac transplant

He found himself in a ward there with people who were awaiting bypass operations.

“Bypasses were classed as a big operation at that time, never mind transplants, and being there I thought that’s what they had planned for me even though I was a lot younger than everyone else in the ward. My two surgeons told me that the only thing that would cure me was a cardiac transplant.”

It was the last thing Andy and his mother expected.

“It was an utter shock. At the time my friends were all out getting on with their lives and playing sport and here I was facing this. I was an only child so it was hard on my mother but she took it in her stride. She was a great woman.”

Infection

Andy was more or less hospitalised the whole time between August 1985 and May 1986 because of the danger of picking up infections, but infections did have implications when donor hearts became available.

Andy was unable to avail of three donor hearts over that nine-month period, for example, when surgery couldn’t take place because he wasn’t well enough.

You knew you were going to die so it was either have the operation and try to survive or die by natural causes

“I remember on the day they said ‘We have a match’ and I actually had the transplant, worrying that I had an infection but it was a do-or-die thing at that stage,” he says.

“There was no alternative. You knew you were going to die so it was either have the operation and try to survive or die by natural causes so we had to go for it. Thankfully it turned out well.”

The difference

Andy remembers the joy of being able to breathe so much better the first time he got out of bed after the operation.

“It was a great feeling not to feel breathless and to have a bit of energy at the same time. The difference the transplant made was just huge.”

Andy was in hospital for 14 weeks – much longer than expected.

I was glad in one way to go home and on the other hand it was a terrifying experience because all of a sudden you’ve gone from an environment where there is always someone on hand if you don’t feel right

“This was because a couple of people who had received transplants prior to me had died after they went home so I was kept in hospital for longer.”

Getting home over three months later, while exciting, was also frightening.

“I was glad in one way to go home and on the other hand it was a terrifying experience because all of a sudden you’ve gone from an environment where there is always someone on hand if you don’t feel right.

"It took a while for us to relax a bit but the fear went after a while.”

On a lot of medication at the start Andy had to attend hospital frequently for monitoring of his anti-rejection drugs.

“Again, they were being extra cautious with me so they had me back in every week for a while and then extended the time between check-ups.”

After recovering Andy went on to qualify as a draughtsman but with no jobs in this field in the late 80s he later went on to study computers and work with Irish Nationwide before moving to An Post in 1999.

Kidney transplant

Andy has also had a kidney transplant – another gift he is thankful for.

“That was 12 years ago and I needed it because the medication I’m on related to the heart transplant affects your kidneys,” he says.

“I had one kidney removed and there was pressure on that then so after four years of dialysis I was lucky enough to get a new kidney, in April 2007.”

Life became much easier again for him after that.

“With dialysis, while it is bearable, you are very restricted about the amount of fluid you can take in and the type of food you can eat so it was wonderful to get the kidney transplant 12 years ago too.”

Fitness is important to him and Andy still cycles to work every day and goes to the gym a couple of days a week.

“I like to do a big cycle at the weekend but I wouldn’t be timing myself on the way home anymore like I used to. I do it just to enjoy it now.”

Meeting the donor family

Unlike many organ recipients Andy has actually met the mother of his heart donor.

“We meet a couple of times a year and she was at my wedding and we’re in contact regularly over the phone,” he says.

“Her son was the same age as myself when he died in a road traffic accident. On the first anniversary of my transplant I put a notice in the paper in memory of my donor and his mother saw it and made contact so we’ve been in touch all along.”

The important message we are trying to get out to people is for people to think about donating their organs and to make sure that their family knows what their wishes are

Andy has recently been involved in publicising the new stamp that An Post has brought out to highlight the importance of filling in donor cards and letting your family know that organ donation is something you would like to do in the event of dying unexpectedly.

“It’s a great initiative,” he says, “because the stamp will be going worldwide. The amount of people going to see them is huge so there will be so much more awareness.”

The stamp features an hourglass timer to represent the gift of life passing from one person to another.

“The important message we are trying to get out to people is for people to think about donating their organs and to make sure that their family knows what their wishes are if anything was to unfortunately happen to them,” he says.

As well as telling family, would-be donors can carry an organ donor card (available in GP surgeries, pharmacies and post offices) or have their wishes included on their driver’s licence also.

Have the conversation

“It’s a difficult subject and sometimes people don’t even want to think about it but I know the value of organ donation so please have that conversation. You couldn’t measure the gift. Then, if tragedy does strike – and nobody ever wants that to happen – families, in traumatic circumstances, can tell the doctors.”

The national team of donor co-ordinators from Organ Donation Transplant Ireland manage the overall process of organ donation and retrieval in Ireland. They work closely to support families at the time of their loss and throughout the journey of donation.

In addition, there are specialist organ donation personnel in the intensive care units of hospitals throughout the country. They provide advice, staff training and education on donation.

There are three specialist transplant centres in Ireland.

The National Kidney Transplant Service is located in Beaumont University Hospital where both living and deceased kidney transplants occur. Paediatric kidney transplants are carried out in Temple Street Children’s University Hospital. The Mater Misericordiae University Hospital hosts the National Heart and Lung Transplant Service. The specialist transplant team perform both heart and lung transplantation surgery for patients from all over Ireland.

The National Liver Transplant Service has been running at St Vincent’s University Hospital since 1993. More recently, in 2016 the National Pancreas Transplant Centre moved to St Vincent’s University Hospital.

Hourglass stamp

An Post has launched a new postage stamp with the aim of starting a national conversation about organ donation.

“The stamp will certainly create more public awareness in Ireland about organ donation,” Professor Jim Egan, director of Organ Donation Transplant Ireland (ODTI), said at the launch. See www.odti.ie

Donor cards can also be obtained by telephoning the Irish Kidney Association on 01 6205306 or Free Text the word DONOR to 50050. Also see www.ika.ie. You can also allow Code 115 to be put on your driver’s licence. Remember, though, that it is your next-of-kin that will make the decision so they need to know where your card is and know your wishes.