Absolute strangers to both the field and concept of transplantation pay incredibly important roles in giving the Gift of Life. This is most obvious whenever we fly out of town to procure organs and we have to rely purely on the goodwill of others. Private companies who donate their executive aircraft, pilots who give up sleep and time with their families to help a complete stranger, airline personnel who move heaven and earth to ensure we never get left behind, are just some of the examples of what contributes towards the saving of one life.

All living things are precious. All life is priceless. Professor Christiaan Barnard pioneered an operation that has saved over 60 000 lives during the past 35 years since he performed the first heart transplant at Groote Schuur Hospital. Today hundreds of thousands of sick people around the world have been given a new lease on life with the progress made in all forms of transplant, including kidney, liver, pancreas, lungs and more recently bowel transplantation.

A few years ago, the Groote Schuur Hospital transplant team were returning to Cape Town from East London with their precious cargo of 2 kidneys, one liver and 2 corneas. A crisis loomed when all coastal airports closed to traffic due to dense fog rolling in during the early hours of the morning. The plane was diverted to Oudtshoorn where the team landed at 3am. They were virtually stranded at the airfield for the night, or so they thought. But the beauty of being stranded at any small town in South Africa. Everyone comes out to help.

The security guard at the airfield notified the police requesting transport. The police transported the surgeons and pilots to the local Holiday Inn. The Holiday Inn was full, so the receptionist phoned around at 4am until he found a B&B that had vacancies for 5 people. The owner of the B&B drove to collect the stranded team in his own car while his wife hurriedly made up beds for her unexpected guests. After 2 hours sleep, the team were fed lavishly and driven back to the airfield by the owner once again. At the airfield, the SADF assisted the pilots with fuel, and as soon as they had word that the fog was starting to lift in Cape Town, they were on their way. Every single person who had contact with the team wished them luck and hoped the little girl at Red Cross Children's Hospital would get her liver in time.

Events were reaching a critical point in Cape Town, as the patient had been asleep on the table since 1am, which is when the team flew from East London.

This little girl left hospital and went home to enjoy her new life. Her parents will probably never know the half of what happened that night in an attempt to save their child's life. But that's OK. However, a situation like this will always remind me of cardiac surgeon, Dr Vosloo's words about the operation only being 10% of the transplant.

Every living person has the potential to be a lifesaver. And if you don't get the opportunity to save a life during your lifetime, you can have the opportunity to do so at the time of your death. Be a lifesaver. Be an Organ Donor.

Alexia Michaelides
Transplant Co-ordinator