The Ballad of Billy The Kidney

Kevin Rudd on organ transplantation

You will recall that the former Prime Minister of Australia, Kevin Rudd, was nominated in this blog as a Great Figure in Transplant / Non-Transplant History.

This was due to his work in establishing the Australian Organ & Tissue Donation & Transplantation Authority - working under the name DonateLife.

Mr Rudd spoke more on this tonight on the Channel 7 current affairs program Sunday Night.

Mr Rudd certainly demonstrated his sense of humour when asked what would have happened without his own aortic heart valve transplant:

I'd be six feet under and I'm sure that would've been a joy to many of my foes in politics.

Commenting on how, in his valedictory speech, he almost lost his composure when recalling the establishment of DonateLife, he remarks:

Yeah, well, I've spent a lot of time with people waiting for a transplant, really good people. So if you're given a chance as prime minister of the country to, you know, make a difference then you cannot do that without thinking of these faces because they're depending on you to get it done.

He also comments on the indifference that people who have not experienced transplant issues first-hand can show when asked to consider this issue:

All those sceptical cabinet ministers sitting around a table thinking: 'What's he on about?' I said: 'Well, we're going to do this because it means a lot for literally thousands of people.' So that's my hope, roll the clock on three years and we're out there as world leaders. If not, I've failed but I've tried.

This is certainly true of my own experience.  A number of my friends have unpromptedly stated to me that they have moved from being either indifferent or, indeed vaguely antagonistic of transplantation to a position of ardent support  - simply through witnessing the experience of Pauline and me.

Mr Rudd also mentions the difficulty of the patient's supporters and families:

Thérèse [Mr Rudd's wife] still finds it pretty emotional to talk about these things. I think it's often harder for immediate family. The one that's under the knife, that's got its own challenges but for your loved ones I think it's just much harder. I think she [Thérèse] found that and still finds it hard to talk about because suddenly as a young mum with two little kids starting up her own business, what's going to happen?

Again, this perception is spot on.  In some respects, with my transplant, I had the slightly easier ride - just sit back and do as I was told.  But Pauline had to deal with all the stuff surrounding the event - from the practicalities of dealing with a dodgy hotel owner who was not delivering to our transplant hospital the standard of post-discharge care that he had promised (and for which he was being paid), to the challenge of seeing one's spouse going through a transplant.

All in all, a very interesting interview.

• Rahni Sadler, Transplants an issue close to Rudd's heart. The Australian, 14th August 2010.

Gary Coleman > a Great Figure in Transplant / Non-Transplant History

This month's nomination for Great Figure in Transplant / Non-Transplant History is the American actor Gary Coleman (1968 - 2010), best known for his role in the television sitcom Diff'rent Strokes.

• This YouTube video was uploaded by Ukiewookie

May I say up front that I was not a fan of Diff'rent Strokes, so do not know much about Mr Coleman.

But in reading the obituaries that followed his death earlier this year, I noticed that he sought to overcome his early illness -  focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS) - and the debilitating effects of this illness in his career and in his life.

Certainly he was not always successful (notwithstanding the huge success of Diff'rent Strokes - but at least he was prepared to have a go.

As a side issue, if (and this is a very big if) the unverified MSNBC report listed below is correct - that his fall causing his fatal injury occurred after being unsteady on his feet after a dialysis session - then this also serves as a salutary lesson in the importance of resting and being cautious after dialysis.

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Wikipedia article

Diff'rent Strokes star Gary Coleman dies at 42.  BBC News,  29th May 2010

Gary Coleman’s fatal fall came after dialysis. MSNBC Today 1st June 2010

Gary Coleman's parents want to know how he fell, News.com.au, 31st May 2010

Samuel Goldsmith and Tina Moore, Gary Coleman's parents, who learned of his death through the media, want answers on how he died NY Daily News 30 May 2010 + video

Stephen M Silverman, Diff'rent Strokes star Gary Coleman dies at 42, People.com, 28th May 2010

Bob Tourtellotte, Gary Coleman dies after brain hemorrhage. Reuters, 28th May 2010

Steve Jobs on facing life's opportunities

Steve Jobs has already been nominated by this blog as a Great Figure in Transplant / Non-Transplant History.

More recently, I had drawn to my attention (thanks to Bernard Boerma) his 2005 Occasional Address to graduating students at Stanford University.

In this speech, Mr Jobs reminds us of our responsibility to perform as best we can. After all, we all have a finite amount of lifespan and we should be using that time effectively.

Whilst Mr Jobs is no doubt more consumed at the moment by problems with the iPhone4 (and even the iPhone3G), nonetheless he continues to be a great example of how an organ transplantee continues to contribute to society.

• This YouTube clip was uploaded by StanfordUniversity

Kevin Rudd > a Great Figure in Transplant / non-Transplant History

This nomination is slightly early (usually happens on the 1st Saturday of the month), but I would like to nominate The Hon Kevin Rudd MP as a Great Figure in Transplant / Non-Transplant History.

This nomination comes as Mr Rudd was yesterday fired from the role of leader of the parliamentary wing of the Australian Labor Party, and therefore also lost the job of Prime Minister of Australia.

(In the Westminster model of parliamentary democracy that we follow in Australia, the leader of the majority party in the lower house of parliament is invited by the Governor-General to form government.)

Mr Rudd was behind the establishment of the Australian Organ & Tissue Donation & Transplantation Authority.

This has already been instrumental in beginning the reversal of the very poor rate of organ donation in Australia - one of the poorest in the Western world.

And Mr Rudd mentioned it in in his valedictory speech yesterday, 4 minutes & 10 seconds into his speech.

I’m proud of the fact, and some people have probably never heard of this one, that we have a National Organ Transplant Authority.

As somebody who borrowed someone else’s aortic valve I feel a particular responsibility for that. There’s nothing like having a bit of somebody else in you, it focuses the mind and in my case also focuses the heart.

What I’m really pleased about in the last two months is the organ donation rates for the first time have started to rise. People now are getting transplants because we chose to make a difference.

As one of the ever-grateful recipients of a donor organ, I would like to publicly thank Mr Rudd for putting this issue before the people of Australia.

Thanks, Kevin.

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• Transcript of valedictory speech, The Australian [newspaper], 24th June 2010

• Vision of valedictory speech, uploaded by fb2121 on YouTube:

Part 1

Parts 2 and 3 continues below

Valerie Lakey and Abigail Taylor > Great Figures in Transplant / Non-Transplant History

Usually the need for an organ transplant arises from underlying chronic illness.

Typically, a person and his or her family spends time – sometimes years – dealing with this illness whilst hoping and praying that the right transplant might come along.

Sometimes, depending on the nature of the illness,  they might seek to influence the timing of this transplant.  They might move to an area with a better organ donation rate (such as the Australian State of South Australia).

Kidney patients might accept a living donation from a family member or, less typically, from a stranger.  (Or less typically still and more illegally, seek to buy a kidney.)

But this is all from an ongoing underlying illness that develops over several years.  A monkey on your back for sure, but one you at least get used to carrying.

What of the person who finds themselves catapulted into this world from accident or injury?

In this series, we meet two little American girls - Valerie Lakey (b. 1988) and Abigail Taylor (2001-2008) - who became actual or potential transplant recipients as a result of a dreadful accidents.

By way of update, we also look at the regulatory changes being madein Australia as a result of the tragic death of Shannon Rankin.

Jimmy Little - A Great Figure in Transplant / Non-Transplant History

Jimmy Little, AO, Hon.D.Mus., is an indigenous Australian country singer, actor, teacher and philantrophist.  He received a kidney transplant in 2006 following 2 years of home dialysis.

A Yorta Yorta man, he began his singing career in the 1950s.  His stated musical influences included Nat "King" Cole and Jim Reeves.

He is best known to wider audiences for his interpretation of Danny Boy (1959) and for his song Royal Telephone (1963).

Jimmy Little also developed a parallel acting career from the 1960s, working with such diverse directors and producers as Wim Wenders and the Rev. Billy Graham.

He continued releasing popular music until at least 1974. Through his teaching and touring activities, Jimmy Little continues to provide mentoring and positive influence to a new generation of Australian indigenous musical performers – including Archie Roach, Mandawuy Yunupingu, and the bands Yothu Yindi and The Warumpi Band.

He was awarded the title of NAIDOC Aboriginal of the year in 1999, and is an Officer of the Order of Australia.  He has been inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame.  He has also received an honorary Doctorate of Music.

Following his kidney transplant in 2006, he set up the Jimmy Little Foundation.  The aim of this Foundation is to promote good health and nutrition in rural and remote aboriginal communities, and to develop renal health facilities in these areas.

Items about Jimmy Little on the WWW include the following.

Articles

• Ailments no barrier for Jimmy Little, 702 ABC Radio Sydney.  Posted 30th October 2009
• Jimmy Little gives Annies [sic] voice the "thumbs up"... . 783 ABC radio Alice Springs, 29th October 2009.
• Wikipedia article

Web pages

• Authorised biographical details on the Jimmy Little Foundation website
• Official website (appears not to have been updated in a while)
• MySpace page

The Jimmy Little Foundation

• Official website
• Facebook page

Video

• Live performance on episode # 6 of Rockwiz (SBS1 TV) - Solo - Duet with Sophie Koh
• Interview telecast on Stateline - ABC [Australia] TV, 29th October 2009.  Uploaded on Youtube by jaybeesoz.

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• The image at the top of this page is from The Black Arm Band.

Great Figures in Transplant / Non-transplant History > Jerry Richardson

Today's instalment in this series introduces you to Jerry Richardson, owner and founder of the Carolina Panthers in the [US] National Football League.

I usually try to alternate these columns between a figure likely to be known to American audiences and a figure more likely to be known to Australian audiences.

This has been a wee bit out of sequence lately, including some figures that fit into neither category (such as my lovely wife).  So here we are back on track.

Usually this post is an abstract of the articles mentioned in this post.  But most of these articles are a wee bit bogged down in American football terms that are completely lost on me;  a humbling experience for an adult educator, and a salutary reminder of what a lot of my students experience when they arrive at TAFE College.

But Mr Richardson is mentioned here because of his recent heart transplant.

Articles I located on this gentleman include:

• Official biography on the Carolina Panthers website (and no mention of his transplant!)
• Wikipedia article
• Gary Myers, Classy Jerry Richardson in fight for his life, New York Daily News, 21st Decembner 2008 (written just before his transplant)
• Richardson recovering from transplant, ESPN, 2nd February 2009
• Addie Rising, Panthers Owner's Heart Transplant Surgery Successful, Addie's Charlotte Blog, About.com, 4th February 2009

The picture is from Addies' Charlotte Blog on About.com

Great Figures in Transplant / Non-transplant History > Stan Whippy Ritova

Stan Whippy Ritova, titled Ratu Viliame Ritova (1935-2009) was a noted  journalist in Australia and in his home nation of Fiji.

He stood for the welfare and rights of kidney patients in Fiji.

Paradoxically, the shortage of facilities in his home country was to eventually force him to move to Australia.  From this base he continued his journalistic career up to the time of his death.

His work eventually led to the eventual establishment of the first kidney dialysis centre in Fiji in 2008. (2008!)

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Obituaries in:

• Fiji Times Online
• Sydney Morning Herald

Anshoo Mala Chandra, New Dialysis Centre to Save Lives, Fiji Government Online Portal, 27th May 2008

Image credit: the image of Stan Whippy Ritova with the non-elected and self-appointed Prime Minister of Fiji, Commodore Voreqe (Frank) Bainimarama, is from the Fiji Government Online Portal of 27th May 2008

Location of the Fijian Islands via Google Maps

Great Figures in Transplant / Non-Transplant History > Janine Murphy

This month's nomination for Great Figures in Transplant / Non-Transplant History goes to a lady who demonstrated that you can still rise to great works in your chosen field - sometimes even with chronic illness.

Janine Murphy was the late Chief Executive Officer of the Royal Australian Mint.  It appears from her obituary notices that she had had a long-term illness, no doubt leading to her liver transplant.

People sometimes assume that you can't be a contributing member of society - in a salaried or non-salaried way - if you have a chronic illness.  But there are plenty of people who demonstrate the opposite.

Obituary notice in

• The website of the Royal Australian Mint

• The Brisbane Times

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• Image credit: from the prospectus of the XXVI Mint Directors' Conference, Canberra 2010

Great Figures in Transplant / Non-Transplant History > Pauline Daley

Today it is appropriate to honour a truly great figure in transplant history - my wife Pauline.

An important way of getting through a major obstacle in life is to get your loved ones onside - partner, family, friends, workmates.  Pauline is an outstanding example of this, going way beyond the call of duty.

(And she had no prior warning of this trribute, by the way.)

Recently I completed my formal re-training by graduating from the University of Wollongong with a TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) teaching qualification.

This is the formal end of a pathway I started on in 2003 when I first enrolled in the University's M.Ed. program in adult education & training.

But its a pathway that I would have found impossible to reach without the support and love of my wife Pauline.

And indeed, this support goes back further to the period 1998 to 2002, with the days of home haemo-dialysis.

I was fortunate to be able to do this at home.  But again, this would have been plainly impossible without Pauline's support.

In those years, Pauline deliberately slowed her career right down simply so she could be a support.

Most dialysis nights, I got home from work to find that she had mostly or entirely completed the set-up.  And then she would strip the machine if I had to race to work next morning.

And this from a lady who was previously barely able to tolerate the sight of a paper cut.

Then there were the interminable hours sitting about clinics when we were on holidays.

And the big day when the transplant call came out of the blue.  A simple country drive for a picnic suddenly became a dash to Sydney and months of disruption.

All through this, Pauline came up smiling.

And she could have avoided all this whilst we were engaged back in the early 1990s. 

During this time, the magnitude of my kidney problems became apparent.  I did what I believed was the honourable thing and indicated to Pauline that I would entirely understand if she wanted to withdraw from our engagement.

Her response?  To tell me that I was talking nonsense, and that we need to decide on invitations by the end of the week.

From the bottom of my heart - thank you, Pauline.  I love you very deeply, and your role as a Great Figure in Transplant / Non-Transplant History is highly deserved. 

• Our picture is from the website of the University of Wollongong.
• The following YouTube video of a rendition of Stand By Me is posted by Playing For Change.
  

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