Living Transplant: Patient Stories | Organ Donation | Medical Experts

Courtney and Brittany sit down with the hilarious Trevor Hanagan to discuss his journey to becoming a non-directed living kidney donor and his 16-year career in UHN security. With humour and vulnerability, Trevor discusses working security in hemodialysis, convincing his mother and partner that donating was a good idea, and the ‘high’ of the non-directed donor process. Also in this episode: the pros and cons of growing up in a family of nurses, bonding during the nightshift, kidney paired donation, and something every man should know when recovering from a kidney transplant.  

Know Your Heroes: Trevor Hanagan  

https://tgwhf.ca/stories/know-your-heroes-trevor-hanagan/  

In this episode: 

The national Kidney Paired Donation (KPD) program is an interprovincial program that is operated collaboratively between Canadian Blood Services and Canada’s living kidney donation and kidney transplant programs. (More on the Canadian Blood Services Website) 

https://www.blood.ca/en/about-us/media/kidney-paired-donation/backgrounder-kidney-paired-donation-program  

Scrotal swelling after laparoscopic donor nephrectomyhttps://www.researchgate.net/publication/230789088_Laparoscopic_donor_nephrectomy_An_increasingly_common_cause_for_testicular_pain_and_swelling  

ED stands for emergency department  

Watch Trevor’s partner, Francesco discuss his experience as caregiver in a panel discussion from Living Donation Week 2020. In Conversation with Caregivers https://youtu.be/QAi1SZTM444  

Courtney and Brittany are joined by Michael Ward, Provincial Lead of Donor Family Services, Trillium Gift of Life Network, Thanatology candidate (Association for Death Education and Counselling) and former Funeral Home Director. Michael guides our hosts through the process of letter exchanges between donor families and the recipients of their loved one’s organs. In addition to reading a few letters, this episode includes advice on what and when to write, acknowledging grief and survivor’s guilt after transplant, and discovering how gratitude can help you move forward. Warning: tissues may be required.  

This episode was recorded during Living Donation Week 2020 https://www.uhn.ca/Transplant/Living_Donor_Program/Centre_for_Living_Organ_Donation/What_We_Do/Living_Donation_Week/Pages/default.aspx   

To watch the live recording, click here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N3fC8mrumAo&t=17s  

For more about the Trillium Gift of Life Network, click here https://www.giftoflife.on.ca/  

The views and opinions expressed in this interview do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Toronto General Hospital or the University Health Network. 

In this bonus episode, Living Transplant shares four stories of transplant, organ donation and the holiday season, all woven around an insightful interview with Stefan Pankiw, Spiritual Care, UHN. A heads up, this episode runs the gamut of emotions! From Hallmark movies and receiving the gift of life on Christmas Eve, to finding purpose through the loss of a loved one and eating latkes on the transplant unit, Courtney and Brittany provide listeners with a holistic view of the transplant holiday experience, and remind listeners that no matter where they are or what they're going through, they are not alone. 

A huge thank you to Maariyah Rahman, Leslie Kaufman, Heather Talbot, and Len Hodder for graciously sharing their stories. 

In this episode 

Spiritual Care at UHN 

https://www.uhn.ca/PatientsFamilies/Patient_Services/Spiritual_Care  

‘I was scared’: 21-year-old Toronto woman on heart transplant surgery 

https://www.toronto.com/news-story/9805942--i-was-scared-21-year-old-toronto-woman-on-heart-transplant-surgery/  

Liver & Onions: examining the layers of a liver transplant one emotion at time. A blog by Leslie Kaufman https://liverandonionsblog.wordpress.com/  

Len Hodder, Non-Directed Living Liver Donor  

https://www.uhn.ca/Transplant/Living_Donor_Program/Centre_for_Living_Organ_Donation/Their_Stories/Pages/Non-Directed_Living_Donors.aspx#len  

Son’s organ donation gives Sunnybrook volunteer new purpose in life  

https://www.toronto.com/news-story/9606088-son-s-organ-donation-gives-sunnybrook-volunteer-new-purpose-in-life/ 

The views and opinions expressed in this interview do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Toronto General Hospital or the University Health Network. 

Floral designer and living donor kidney transplant recipient Claudia Morgan shares her experience living with polycystic kidney disease (PKD), postponing the reality of kidney failure for a trip to Paris, and turning to her church for help with finding a living donor. Claudia speaks openly about life on dialysis - including the bond you form with your ‘dialysis family' - as well as her reluctance to share her health condition with others, pushing out of her comfort zone to find a living donor through social media, and what it’s like to go ‘viral.’ 

Watch Claudia, her pastor and youth pastor discuss her experience finding a living donor, including Claudia’s viral video: https://youtu.be/cM7JmfNNb0o?t=4889  

PKD Foundation of Canada  https://www.endpkd.ca/ 

In this episode:  

Polycystic Kidney Disease (PKD) is an inherited disorder in which clusters of cysts develop primarily within your kidneys, causing your kidneys to enlarge and lose function over time. Read more: https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/polycystic-kidney-disease/symptoms-causes/syc-20352820#:~:text=Polycystic%20kidney%20disease%20(PKD)%20is,and%20lose%20function%20over%20time.  

In hemodialysis, a machine filters wastes, salts and fluid from your blood when your kidneys are no longer healthy enough to do this work adequately. Hemodialysis (he-moe-die-AL-uh-sis) is one way to treat advanced kidney failure and can help you carry on an active life despite failing kidneys. Read more: https://www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/hemodialysis/about/pac-20384824  

Please note, this episode was recorded prior to March 2020. For the most up to date information on the Transplant Ambassador Program (TAP) please visit their website: https://transplantambassadors.ca/ 

The views and opinions expressed in this interview do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Toronto General Hospital or the University Health Network. 

Dr. Gary Levy and Charmaine Beal walk Courtney and Brittany through the history of the Ajmera Transplant Centre (previously the Multi-Organ Transplant Program) and its astounding number of world firsts. Dr. Levy talks candidly about his determination to find a treatment for end-stage liver disease, sleeping in the ICU, recruiting Dr. Heather Ross, and his dislike for the word ‘no,’ - while Charmaine discusses the early days of the program (no OTTR!) and how her career flourished from riding the rollercoaster that is working alongside Dr. Levy. From three beds in the Eaton wing to 700 transplants in 2019, discover the origins of the program that is leading the world in transplantation.  

In this Episode 

MOT is the acronym for the Multi-Organ Transplant Program, now the Ajmera Transplant Centre.  

OTTR is health care software designed specifically for transplant patient care.  

The views and opinions expressed in this interview do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Toronto General Hospital or the University Health Network. 

Please note, this episode was recorded prior to March 2020.  

Courtney and Brittany talk transplant with living liver donor Sonia Munoz, and her father and transplant recipient, Jaime. This hilarious duo walk our hosts through their whirlwind transplant experience that began in 2017, when Jaime was told he had three months to live. From chaos and uncertainty to recovery and reflection, Sonia and Jaime share their story with honesty, authenticity, and laughter.  

In This Episode 

Hepatic Encephalopathy is a syndrome found in patients with liver disease such as cirrhosis. It can be defined as a spectrum of neurological abnormalities in patients with liver dysfunction. It causes personality changes, intellectual impairment and a decreased level of consciousness. Subtle signs of encephalopathy are observed in approximately 70% of patients with liver disease. Read more https://www.uhn.ca/Transplant/Liver_Transplant_Program/Pre_Transplant/Documents/Hepatic_Encephalopathy.pdf   

Paracentesis  

Paracentesis is a procedure to remove fluid from your belly. It is commonly called a ‟tap”. You may need a tap to relieve pressure from a build-up of fluid in your belly or to take a small amount of fluid for testing. Read more https://www.uhn.ca/PatientsFamilies/Health_Information/Health_Topics/Documents/Preparing_for_Paracentesis.pdf  

Tachycardia is the medical term for a heart rate over 100 beats per minute. There are many heart rhythm disorders (arrhythmias) that can cause tachycardia. Read more https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/tachycardia/symptoms-causes/syc-20355127#:~:text=Tachycardia%20is%20the%20medical%20term,to%20have%20a%20fast%20heartbeat.  

Tinzaparin is an anticoagulant.   

Read more  http://pie.uhnresearch.ca/~michaelcorrin/CVmanual/Old/CVmanual/CVManual_content/assets/2013pdfs/Anticoagulants/TinzaparinGuidelines.pdf  

Subscribe to the Centre for Living Organ Donation’s monthly newsletter here https://www.research.net/r/VYNPDFT  

To read the full transcript of this episode click here.  

The views and opinions expressed in this interview do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Toronto General Hospital or the University Health Network. 

Courtney and Brittany sit down with Dr. Deepali Kumar, transplant infectious diseases physician in the Ajmera Transplant Centre, to talk transplant and COVID-19.

This episode was recorded June 2020. For the most recent updates on COVID-19 in Canada, please check with Health Canada https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada.html

For specific transplant related questions or specific health concerns, please check with your transplant team or health care provider.

About Dr. Kumar

Deepali Kumar, MD, MSc, FRCP(C), FAST, is a Professor of Medicine at the University of Toronto. She is a transplant infectious diseases physician in the Ajmera Transplant Centre at University Health Network. Dr. Kumar has a translational research program that consists of both clinical and laboratory-based research. Her research focuses on immunologic responses to vaccines and viral infections in transplant recipients. She has supervised numerous graduate students and medical residents/fellows. She has authored over 175 manuscripts, editorials, and book chapters in the field of transplantation. She is Editor-in-chief of The AST Handbook of Transplant Infections and Associate Editor of the 4rd Transplant ID Guidelines published in Clinical Transplantation. She is also Chair of the Canadian Standards Association Technical Committee for Cells, Tissues, and Organs. She currently holds the role of Secretary of the American Society of Transplantation.

The views and opinions expressed in this interview do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Toronto General Hospital or the University Health Network.

Colleen Shelton, nurse manager for the multi-organ transplant coordinators in the Ajmera Transplant Centre, explains what’s kept her with the transplant program at UHN for over 25 years, including the unpredictable nature of working in transplant and being the one to make “the call.” Colleen walks Courtney and Brittany through the process of a patient’s first transplant workup call and shares some of her most rewarding moments working in transplant.

The views and opinions expressed in this interview do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Toronto General Hospital or the University Health Network.

Hosts Brittany Cole and Courtney Mahrt interview Kadeem Morgan, a 23-year-old double lung transplant recipient living with cystic fibrosis (CF). Kadeem talks about growing up with CF – a rare genetic disease that predominantly affects Caucasian patients – as well as feelings of euphoria and guilt after transplant, and the collective rebelliousness that permeates the CF community.

Why Being a Black Man With Cystic Fibrosis Made Me a 'Needle in the Haystack' by Kadeem Morgan https://themighty.com/2020/08/cystic-fibrosis-feeling-isolated-because-of-race/?fbclid=IwAR0TG4b0-790YqMU7WzIOdlmxrptkm08edv3EAR2rJFQOCTHCljBuW6QK0Y

More about cystic fibrosis · https://www.cysticfibrosis.ca/ · https://www.cff.org/

The views and opinions expressed in this interview do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Toronto General Hospital or the University Health Network.

Living Transplant takes listeners behind the scenes of North America’s largest transplant program - the Ajmera Transplant Centre at Toronto General Hospital. Join hosts Brittany Cole (Bedside Nurse, Ajmera Transplant Centre) and Courtney Mahrt (Communications, Centre for Living Organ Donation at UHN) as they explore transplantation through the perspectives of frontline staff, researchers, innovators, and transplant pioneers, as well as organ donation recipients, living organ donors, families and caregivers. Living Transplant will show you the world of transplant like you've never seen it be fore.