Every day a gift for heart transplant recipient
It was a full circle moment for heart transplant recipient Brett Driessen when he returned to Rockingham General Hospital (RGH) this week as a guest speaker for DonateLife Week.
It was the staff at RGH who first diagnosed Brett’s life-threatening heart condition.
It was 2015 when the then 41-year-old, lifelong swimmer and father of two, had minimal symptoms to indicate any serious health concerns.
Brett recalled being tired, a little bit breathless, and presumed he was coming down with the flu and only went to the GP on the insistence of his wife.
He was admitted to RGH where an ultrasound and ECG revealed signs of chronic heart failure.
“Bless Rockingham General Hospital,” Brett said.
“Their diagnosis was the first step in saving my life.”
Brett was transferred to Fiona Stanley Hospital (FSH) where a slew of tests was conducted to conclude that the cause of chronic heart failure was viral.
It was a shock to Brett and his family.
“Before that I’d never been sick, I ate well, I was a fit swimmer and I’d never even taken a Panadol,” he said.
Brett’s healthy lifestyle would however be of great benefit to his future health and recovery.
Medication managed his condition for a while, but the entire heart was compromised and within a few months Brett was told the last resort was a heart transplant.
He kept fit and well under the watchful eye of the team at the FSH cardiac gym while he waited for a transplant.
Brett said he’d pictured in his mind the time coming when a donor was found that he would be whisked down the freeway in a blaze of emergency vehicles.
Rather it was a very calm transplant team at FSH who assured him he had time to pack his bag and make his own way to the hospital for the life-saving surgery.
Brett recalled waking up in ICU and feeling no pain.
“I wanted to feel something. I wanted to feel alive,” Brett said.
“I guess they must’ve slipped me two Panadol during the surgery,” he said with a laugh.
Brett was discharged from FSH seven days after his heart transplant with no complications.
“The heart in my chest is second to none.
“Unfortunately, in Australia you don’t get to meet the family of the donor. However, I expect that my donor must have been like my twin as it is a very, very good match and I am very grateful for that.”
Now at the age of 52, Brett said he is optimistic about life and every day is a gift to be used, to be cherished and to get going.
“You want to be the best version of yourself to make your donor proud. Keep becoming better!
“To this day I hate wasting time as the clock is ticking. I’ve been given extra time to do more, and I have more time to accomplish things.”
He said there were milestones that he thought he was going to miss out on like seeing his boys finish school.
“With this gift of life, I’ve lived to see them go to university and I hope one day to become a Grandpa.”
Since his heart transplant Brett has completed a half marathon, numerous HBF Run for a Reason and City to Surf events, along with multiple 'Breaths and Beats' organ transplant fundraiser bike rides and Busselton Jetty Swims.
When he turned 50, and his son turned 21, the family travelled to New Zealand to celebrate the occasion with friends living there.
This year for his wife’s birthday they’ll go back to South Africa, where Brett was born, to visit family.
“Live every day like it’s your last,” he said.
There are currently 1,800 Australians waiting for a life-saving organ transplant and thousands more needing a tissue transplant.
This year, DonateLife week runs from 27 July to 3 August and is a reminder for all West Australians to register as organ and tissue donors and tell their families of their wishes.
Register as an organ and tissue donor (external site) and be the reason someone gets a second chance at life.
Transplants: a clinician's perspective
“A heart transplant is the start of a new life for the recipient, an end to the debilitating symptoms of end stage heart failure and the start of a new journey,” Clare said.
“It never ceases to amaze me, watching the transformation from a person who was so recently close to death, unable to breathe or walk more than a few metres, to one who just a few weeks after transplant is regaining their physical independence and is home with family and living again.”
A large multidisciplinary team has provided individualised care to meet Brett’s clinical and psychological needs.
As the Nurse Practitioner, Clare’s job is to prepare the patient for the changes that transplantation brings. From the surgery, risks, medications and lifestyle changes and general advice and psychological support after the transplant.
“This support and follow up is life-long. I often get to know my patients very well!”
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