Saving a life: a personal perspective
A gift of a lifetime from Alana Long, QCH Pharmacy Manager and living donor
Carleton Place is a close community. When Alana Long recognized a familiar name on social media, she was immediately drawn to the message. A woman needed a liver donor. Alana realized that it was the mother of two boys she knew. “I never stopped to think if I should donate, I knew I might be able to help, and I put my name forward right away and started the testing process,” said Alana.
“For a liver transplant, I had to go to the Toronto General Hospital. There was an initial assessment and then two days of appointments. I met with a nurse, a social worker, and a surgeon. They were extremely thorough with extensive bloodwork, x-rays, a CAT scan, and MRI.
A team of doctors examines every detail to ensure that you can safely donate an organ. It was interesting too because I learned that the donor has their team of physicians, completely separate from the recipient.” There was a lot of support for the donor throughout the experience. The team answered every question, and the option to change your mind is available right up to the moment of surgery. At no time is the reason for stopping the surgery disclosed to anyone else. The donor team states that the transfer is not viable, and they cancel the surgery.
Alana learned a lot from the donor experience. She discovered that there are different kinds of donations. You can have someone in mind that you wish to donate to, be anonymous, or be one of three different parties who donate, so each recipient wins if there isn’t a direct match within two. She also learned that donations from living organs have a higher success rate, and 100% of living donors have survived after their surgery.
Now that she has gone through the surgery and recovery, Alana has even more compassion for her patients. “It really changed my perspective about what patients are going through.”
Despite working in a hospital and helping to save lives every day, Alana said that donating an organ was different.
“It’s hard to describe how it feels to donate an organ and save a life. If I could, I would do it again in a heartbeat!”
Karen Finkler-Bell (left) and Alana Long (right)
Alana Long in hospital
Karen Finkler-Bell receives a life-saving donation from Alana Long
After several years of futile medical appointments due to my severe itching and extreme fatigue, I started online research and found out that I had an autoimmune disorder related to my liver, Primary biliary cholangitis. Both relieved and scared, my physician confirmed my suspicions.
He sent me to a liver specialist in Ottawa who determined that I was already at Stage 4 of the disease and referred me to the Toronto General Hospital (TGH) for a couple of days to go through several tests, and they put me on the transplant list. Ahead of me were 200 people waiting for a liver, so my only hope was to find a living donor.
A significant challenge
The most difficult thing to find is someone willing to undergo major surgery, take multiple screening tests, time off work, travel to Toronto, and put their own health at risk. How can you ask anyone to make that sacrifice?
I was rushed to hospital on a couple of occasions, as I had developed hepatic encephalopathy because of ammonia travelling to my brain. I didn’t even know what day it was. I tried to take my diabetic reading with my cellphone, and I couldn’t figure out how to turn a light switch on. I even sat down and put on invisible boots! YIKES!
Friends and family made an appeal on Facebook to help me find a living donor. I was contacted by about a dozen people to see if they were eligible.Some were friends, colleagues, and strangers. Most of my circle of friends did not meet the criteria, but I was astonished at the outpouring of support and good wishes.
Then Alana came along – brought to my home by a school chum of my sons and announced that she had already passed the first round of tests, and it was looking good for her as a donor. SHOCKED, SURPRISED, DELIGHTED & GRATEFUL I was, still am, and will forever be that she was willing to put her life on pause, and take the chance to save mine.
Our story made the local paper on a couple of occasions, so I have been sought out by others waiting for transplants for advice. I tell them to get their story made public, keep strong and be hopeful.
For those who are considering donating an organ, I would advise the following:
Have an unfaltering desire to help someone live.
Research what is involved, mentally, physically, emotionally, and financially. All these areas will be tested.
Have the support of their family and friends, as they will need them for support and encouragement.
Have the cooperation of their workplace as they will need time off work for appointments out of town, and time off for surgery and recovery.
Alana did all of that for me. How can you ever thank someone who gave up so much for you personally? Impossible! All I know is that it wasn’t for her I would not be here today.
I spent 5 years with a sick liver but that all changed on April 18, 2018, when Alana saved my life!
For those considering donating an organ – it will be life-changing for you, your donor and all your families and friends who go on your journey with you and you will become a HERO.