function until 2012, when my doctors
became more serious about having me
evaluated and put on the transplant list.
So I completed all the necessary tests
and appointments. Once all that was
done, the doctors agreed that I was a
good candidate for a transplant but
decided I was ‘too well’ at the time to
receive one. They said they’d reassess
my needs every six months from then on.
In 2015 I became very sick and needed
to be on oxygen full time to breathe, and
that’s when my medical team said that
I desperately needed the transplant. At
the time, my sister, Laima, had moved
in with me and was helping with all my
day-to-day care.
Over the next two years I had two ‘dry
runs’, which is when you get the call to
say there’s a donor, but then the operation
is cancelled because there
ends up being an issue
with the donor organs. It’s
devastating to go through,
but it happens.
tHe Big day
Finally, in 2017, my
transplant went ahead.
It wasn’t without its
complications, though,
because my donor had cytomegalovirus
(CMV), a virus which often remains
dormant but can become active at a later
stage. For transplant recipients, CMV can
result in organ rejection.
Although my overall quality of life has
improved drastically since the operation,
I still face health difficulties each day as
I’ll take anti-rejection
medication for the rest of my life
and may need another transplant. My
recovery from the operation itself was
quick but the first year is usually the most
important because that’s when things are
most likely to go wrong. It takes a while
for your body to get used to the change
and all the new medicines that you’re
taking – a handful of issues popped up
in that time, and my white blood cell
levels were all over the place.
Because my donor had CMV, I now
have it too. The virus is usually dormant
and isn’t contagious but for someone
who is immunocompromised, like me, it
can cause problems. Last year, my body
was still adjusting to all the meds and
my haemoglobin and white blood cell
count were so low that I ended up in the
hospital for a week and needed
a blood transfusion.liFe today
But since the transplant, my
life has changed tremendously.
I don’t have to spend hours a
day doing treatments. I’m not
coughing all day or regularly
taking naps, and I’m no longer
on IV antibiotics either. I can
now walk, carry things, do the laundry,
clean the house and climb stairs without
needing to stop to catch my breath or to
have a coughing fit. I’m finally able to live
my life. All I need to do now is take pills
twice a day and do tests once a week to
monitor my levels, as well as see my
transplant team every three months.not ‘cured’ yet
I want people to know that a transplant
isn’t necessarily forever. Just because
I have new lungs it doesn’t mean I’m
‘cured’. They can last anywhere from a
year to 20 years and rejection is a very
real danger. I still have to worry about
getting sick easily. I wear a mask in most
shops when they’re busy, when there’s a
crowd indoors or a lot of children present.
Being immunocompromised, I’ve become
a germaphobe!
Currently, cystic fibrosis is an end-
stage disease. But with more awareness
comes funding for research to develop
life-changing therapies and medications.
I’m sick of seeing my friends and people
I know suffering and dying and I have
high hopes that a cure will be found soon.
‘Organs canlast a year or
20 years –
rejection is a
real danger’
wHat is
cystic FiBrosis?Cystic fibrosis is a genetic disorder
that primarily affects the lungs but
also other organs like the pancreas,
liver, kidneys and intestines. it affects
the cells that produce mucus, sweat
and digestive juices, causing them to
become thick and sticky, which then
clogs ducts and tubes. At this stage
there is no cure but the symptoms
can be treated and managed.In hospital after the transplantRima had daily nebuliser treatments to help her breathereaL L ife | your story