Our lives were changed by organ donors

When Andrew Barnshaw had a liver transplant, his life was back on track but he was surprised how little support or information there was available to him in Bermuda.

As a result, he decided to set up the Bermuda Organ and Tissue Donor Association, where donors and recipients can meet regularly to share experiences and talk with professionals in the field. For more information about the group email [email protected]. They will hold an appreciation meeting at St Andrew’s Church Hall opposite HSBC on Church Street on Saturday, May 3 from 6:30pm to 8:30pm. 

Last year, Mr Barnshaw spoke to the Bermuda Sun about his experience of having a transplant and in the run-up to National Organ and Tissue Donor Awareness Week from April 20 to 26, he approached this reporter with the story of two others whose lives had been
affected by organ and tissue donation. He hopes it will inspire others to donate organs and tissues. Here are their stories.  

Real life stories

Chardré Yawana: 

When her daughter Chardré Yawana was killed in a road traffic accident on January 1, 2002, Charmaigne Laws’ world fell apart. But even while heavily grieving, she had no hesitation in agreeing to have her daughter’s organs and tissues donated to help save the lives of others.

“They asked me what parts they could have and I said, take them all. The only thing they didn’t take was blood vessels — they needed to get them from her arms but she was being buried in a sleeveless dress and her father didn’t want a scar to be showing. 

“I didn’t think twice when I was asked because I know when you are dead you are dead you aren’t going to know anything is missing. I didn’t realize there was so much they could use. They took skin for burn victims. They wanted blood vessels for Leukaemia patients. They took the corneas from her eyes. But when you look at her the casket it is no different. She looked flawless. 

“She was 20 — it was
unfortunate — but many lives were saved and
enhanced as a result of that gift. If I had one thing to say to anyone, it is be an organ donor.”

The gift that Charmaigne and Chardré gave is about to come around full circle. It took Ms Laws over ten years to reach out and try to contact some of the recipients that had benefitted from her daughter’s gift — she was told that six people’s lives were either saved or enhanced by her organs and tissues. Just recently she was thrilled to receive a letter saying that one of the recipients had responded but she could never have dreamed it would be the one that it was.

“It was the one who got her heart,” she beamed. “What surprised me was I had sent off five letters and only one responded — it didn’t matter, I met the one I wanted to meet — the one who got my daughter’s heart.

“I didn’t call but they had sent the contacts and my heart was beating. I was talking to a friend and she said, ‘What you waiting for, call’. So I called but no one answered. I was sort of relieved but half and hour later he called and heard the message. I was just grinning from ear to ear. We talked for 56 minutes — I timed it. He was asking all kinds of questions and I was smiling, I was so happy I just wanted to go through the phone.”

This Sunday, Ms Laws will get to meet the recipient, José Famania, face-to-face for the first time as he is flying from Boston to Bermuda especially to meet her. “It’s been 12 years since my daughter passed away but I am just so excited.” He calls me his ‘other mom’, I call him my ‘son’. 

Mr Famania is the same age as Chardré would have been had she lived and he has a clean bill of health. 

John Drew:

John Drew owes his life to his organ donor. Many of his older friends had had check ups at that time and so he decided to do the same. It was fortunate he did as the doctors found a problem with his liver that needed urgent attention. After a blood test they found that his enzymes were elevated and after more tests and a CT scan it became clear he had a malignant tumour the size of a golf ball inside his liver. Located right at its centre, the tumour was inoperable although they were able to perform a chemo embolization which would stall its progress temporarily. It only takes a few cancer cells to survive for it to spread so the best option for Mr Drew was to get a transplant. 

He was put on the list and was soon offered a liver but there was a serious problem he had to contend with. 

“When they offer you an organ they tell you the history of the patient — their sex, age, race and what they died of. This one was a man, a year or two older than I was and he had died of meningitis — a disease of the brain. I said I don’t want to take the chance as it could be passed on to me. The doctor said it is your choice. The organ doesn’t get wasted, it goes to number two on the list or three or four… it will get used. I wish I’d known that at the time because I felt so bad about turning it down.”

A month later in March 2003, Mr Drew received another offer — a liver from a woman who had died of a heart attack — and he
instantly accepted.

He had the transplant in the Monday morning and by Monday afternoon he was asking his doctor whether he could get up and walk around.

“I sat up on the bed and was swinging my legs. I started walking around the room. I’ve been cut open and I have staples everywhere. I walked out to the ward a bit and laid down but it felt good that I’d done that — it was a psychological thing — you have to force yourself to do things. By the Friday I was out of the hospital.”

“If it hadn’t been for the donor I wouldn’t be here. Guaranteed.”