The Call can come during the day or night. It is important that you are ready at any time, your hospital bag is with you and you have a carer to drive you to the hospital.
When you get your Organ Transplant Call
When an organ transplant becomes a possibility, you will be contacted. This organ transplant call can come at any time, day or night. Your transplant unit will tell you specific instructions on where and what to do upon arrival at the hospital. They will assume you have your bag pre packed and with you. I had my go bag in the car at all times in case we were out. You may be told to come in immediately as the organ is ready for transplant now. Alternatively, you could be asked to come in over the next 6 to 12 hours. This happens if the organ is yet to be retrieved, transported and ready for transplant.
A Reality Check
It is an exhilarating step towards a fresh start in your life. However, receiving a call does not ensure that the transplant will proceed. There are various factors such as infection or donor heart conditions which may render the organ unsuitable for transplant. The organ may be perfect for you. However, you may have an infection, a temperature or are too sick to have the transplant at that time.
Being Sent Home Without a Transplant
If any of these factors occur you will be sent home. This can be devastating and distressing. This happened to me. I felt it was a positive as it demonstrated I was close to being an organ recipient. I knew I was getting closer. It was just a matter of being patient for the right match for me.
What Happens When You Are An Organ Transplant Stand By
It is important that you are aware of the STAND BY List. You may be called into the hospital as a stand by or back up for an organ transplant. A nurse told me a story of six possible transplant recipients being called in for the one transplant surgery. Apparently six nurses, with their unwavering dedication and expertise, carefully navigated the delicate balancing act of keeping the candidates separated. Meanwhile they ensured potential recipients were all well-prepared for the life-changing surgery ahead.
MY FIRST (UNSUCCESSFUL) Transplant CALL
When I got the first call, I had been on the Heart Transplant Waiting List for 14 days. It was a Friday. I had a feeling it was going to be that day. During the day I re-checked my go bag. Then I washed my hair and told my husband it was going to be today.
At 11pm that night I was in bed and Steve was cleaning his teeth. I was sure I was going to get The Call but it looked like I was wrong. At 11.05pm I had a private number call. Incredulously we looked at each other and said “no way?”. It was the transplant nurse informing us that a heart was potentially available. They wanted us to get to the hospital as soon as possible.
From the Blue Mountains, it is at least a 1 hour and 15 minute drive. We arrived at 12.30 am on Saturday morning. Steve dropped me off at the entrance to St Vincent’s Hospital. meanwhile he went to park the car.
The front doors are locked after hours. It took me a couple of minutes to rouse the attention of the night security guard. He opened the sliding doors. As I literally passed through the internal set of doors, the transplant coordinator called my mobile.
I could see Steve coming down the front steps towards me. I walked to meet him and told him “the surgery has been called off, we can go home.” We arrived home at 3.30 am on day 15 of being listed.
When your Transplant surgery Is cancelled
The transplant process can be halted at any moment due to factors such as non viable donor organs or incompatible matching. As a backup recipient, you may be called in if another recipient’s blood is not a match with the donor organ. You will need to go to hospital and begin preparations for theatre. However, it is important to keep in mind that being a backup recipient does not guarantee a transplant and cancellations can occur at any time.
You are never really told why the transplant surgery does not go ahead for you. The donor organ may not be viable or the organ has been given to another transplant recipient that was higher priority or a better match. The transplant team is quite open about the fact that they will call multiple potential recipients to arrive at hospital for the same heart/organ.
I was told by a nurse that once she had to juggle 6 potential recipients for one heart and try to keep them all separated across the ward. One patient underwent the transplant while the others were sent home to continue waiting. I call that a classic case of who will be the Bride and who will be the Bridesmaids!
After my transplant, I was told that I had received a better, stronger heart for me than the first. I sensed the first donor heart for some reason was not viable but in the very least it was not a great match for me. I told our eldest daughter and my husband that I would have a heart by Wednesday that week. They were doubtful. Could you blame them?
MY TRANSPLANT CALL
Tuesday, day 17, I woke up and again I knew I was getting My Call that day. I re-checked my bag. Then I set up a What’sApp chat group and cooked the family dinner by midday. As I sensed I would not be home, I washed my hair and shaved my arms and legs. Yes, I started to shave my arms after my first operation. This is to prevent all the sticky plaster pulling out my arm hair.
I also advise you not to get a tan while waiting for surgery. All the surgical tape and sticky plasters they put on your skin means you come out looking like a Giraffe. A Giraffe with a bad tan.
On The Day Of My Call
I had invited a good friend, Annette over for lunch. She was there to keep me company and to be on standby for transport. Just in case Steve and Georgia could not get home from work in time. We had just started lunch. At 12.38 pm I received my transplant call asking me to come to St Vincent’s Hospital. They were confident they had a viable donor heart for me.
The surgery was scheduled for 8 am the following day, Wednesday, day 18. I called Steve and Georgia who were at work. Our youngest daughter Tea’Rose was in Europe travelling for nearly 5 months.
Setting out for the hospital
We set off for the hospital at 4.30 pm and arrived at 6.30 pm. Thank you peak hour traffic in Sydney. We were told the heart would not arrive at St Vincent’s until Wednesday morning.
This gave us extra time, which in most cases is unusual. The donor heart is only viable up to 4 hours after retrieval. Considering I was critically ill and a slender female, the odds were I was the Bride and not a Bridesmaid. I was right. The transplant went ahead the following day at 8 am. A Wednesday in May 2023.
Please share your story about your Transplant Call in the form below. Our WW Community loves to hear other people’s journeys.
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