Video Warning: Graphic content
GEORGE NEWS AND VIDEO - A song that has a special meaning to a local heart transplant recipient is a country song by Billy Ray Cyrus. Achy Breaky Heart was sung to Anthony Breakey (53) most mornings in hospital by one of the doctors or nurses while he awaited his life-saving operation.
Now an activist for the Organ Donor Foundation (ODF), Breakey's journey was one with many pitfalls and highlights.
His story began almost eleven years ago, in September 2008, when he had a massive heart attack at the age of 42 while riding his mountain bike.
It was a beautiful morning and Breakey, being an active person, undertook a two-and-a-half-hour ride on the Outeniqua Mountains. "I've just started the ride when I experienced severe chest pains," he said. "But I reckoned I had to persevere."
This proved to be a grave mistake, since the stress caused his heart irreparable damage.
Breakey was diagnosed with heart failure. A mere three years later, at the age of 45, he was diagnosed with end stage heart failure. Breakey underwent open heart surgery to replace his aortic valve with a mechanical valve, and to repair his heart aneurysm.
"In the end the only options left were a heart transplant or early death," said Breakey.
"I went on the transplant list in 2013 and waited five years for a suitable and compatible donor. On 23 January 2018, at the age of 52, I received a new heart and new lease on life at the Netcare Christiaan Barnard Memorial Hospital in Cape Town."
Breakey's heart transplant operation took six hours in surgery. He awaited the operation for two and a half months in hospital, and went home two weeks afterwards.
The avo tree
The former regional sales manager and national trainer for Hansgrohe was used to being very active. "I was constantly at the gym, running, mountain biking, playing golf and even bodyboarding," said Breakey.
Whilst waiting for a donor heart, boredom got the better of him. "We have this huge avocado tree in our backyard and I wanted to pick the big ones on top," he said. "My wife, Chantal, had to leave for a few days to tend to her business in Hermanus, and she warned me to stay out of the tree."
At this stage Breakey had enough trouble breathing as it is. Any further complications could be disastrous. However, it wasn't long before he decided to climb the avo tree for a nice harvest. "
On the way down, the branch I chose to step on was hollow, unbeknown to me," he explained.
"It had been eaten from the inside by ants or termites. When I put my weight on the branch it broke. I fell several metres and broke five ribs. Somehow I managed to crawl into the house and phone my wife. She was fuming when she heard what I did and suggested I call an ambulance, which I duly did."
Friends and reflection
Looking back at his life, Breakey said he wouldn't change a thing. "I'd made my peace with death and dying. I truly believed and continue to believe that everything is exactly the way it's meant to be, according to God's plan," he said. His doctor, Susan Vosloo, once said to him he must remember he is swapping one illness for another. "I never fully understood what she meant, until after the transplant," said Breakey.
"Every day I have to take a handful of pills including immunosuppressants to suppress my immune system, as it is constantly trying to attack and reject the new organ, and it will continue to do so until the day I die. I will never be able to do what I used to do. No more marathons for me, no strenuous bike rides. But, I now have a second chance at life, and that is far more precious, because as long as I'm still here I can make a positive difference, and hopefully leave this world a bit better than I found it."
During his lengthy visits to the Netlife Hospital in Cape Town, Breakey made many friends, and lost some too. His own journey and those of his friends motivated him to become an activist for the Organ Donor Foundation.
Organ donor awareness
During the upcoming long weekend from 9 to 11 August, Breakey will man an awareness and registration table at the Garden Route Mall to assist with the distribution of leaflets, help individuals to register as donors and answer frequently asked questions. He will be accompanied by Rudi Nel, another heart transplant recipient, and volunteers of the ODF. Local businesses who would like to sponsor marketing material and branding, and companies who have wellness days and want the ODF to set up an awareness table can contact Breakey on 082 744 4920 or send an e-mail to abreakey@webmail.co.za. Breakey is also looking to increase the number of volunteers in the Southern Cape. The ODF is a non-profit and non-governmental organisation. Donors register free of charge.
Watch a video below.
The song Achy Breaky Heart was sung to Anthony Breakey (53) every morning in hospital by one of the doctors or nurses while he awaited his operation.
SAVE 7 PEOPLE'S LIVES
Currently only 0,9% of the population (18 years and older) are registered organ donors, which translates to roughly 286 000 people. Being registered is not an absolute requirement for becoming a donor; it is sufficient to inform your next of kin of your wish.
- Your heart, liver and pancreas can save three lives and your kidneys and lungs can help up to four people. You can help up to 50 people by donating your corneas, skin, bone, tendons and heart valves.
- An organ transplant takes place after an individual has been declared brain dead but is still being supported on a ventilator.
- Bone tissue transplants are the second most common transplants performed on patients, after blood transfusions.
- The recovery of organs and tissue is carried out with great care by surgeons and trained staff and the process does not change the way the body looks.
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