disease and we hope that in a Iew there were 23 liver transplants, 4 oI

years' time it will be cured. them were Irom living donors. OI

UnIortunately there is a very big those 4 were what we call domino
Iight with the labs, they want to transplants or crossed donors. We
make a lot oI money by putting call it when living donors are Irom
them in the market with very high distant places, Seville and
prices. We are in this Iight to get the Pamplona in our case this past year.
price oI medicines down and
withineverybody's reach. Can you recall any transplant
that has especially struck you?
What is hepatitis C? What has struck me lately is that we
Hepatitis C is a virus that enters have had the Iirst transplant Irom a
your body and reproduces, live donor done by laparoscopia.
destroying the liver cells which Until nowthe living donors oI liver
ends up in destroy the liver. This had to go through major surgery.
virus causes cirrhosis, a disease The doctors removed a big part oI
usually caused by alcohol. It their liver and then it was
causes various damages: the transplanted into the sick person.
stomach does not work, it swells, In this Iirst laparoscopic transplant
encephalopathies , ... per I or med at t he Cl i ni ca
Universidad de Navarra the donor
What kind of tasks do you do in had just three tiny cuts, no bigger
yourAssociation? than 10 cms. This liver resection
The Association has only one goal, technique allows patients to go
to help sick people. We help them home earlier and recover quicker
with our experience. When compared to open procedures. This
someone comes to our Association, is very remarkable.
really bad, Irightened, distressed,
Antonio Garcia, President
we try to guide and encourage them On the other hand, each liver
... and that's when they come to our
with our experience. Usually they transplant is diIIerent. We are all oI the Liver Association
Association and see us, also
come very depressed because they diIIerent, and react diIIerently to
I o r t h e S i c k a n d transplanted, and then they say to
have a very advanced hepatitis. the drugs we take. When we
themselves: "Hey!, these people
Transplanted (ATEHNA),
When these people see us they remember our surgery, some will
are doing great, they are not so
realise that the transplantation is tell you it only took nine days received us at CaIe Irua
bad!". And that encourages them;
not the end oI the world, not at all. beIore going back home, others
and oIIered us a big they get the strength they need to
For all oI us it has been like been ten. I had to spend two months in
go on. At Iirst they think that
opportunity to learn about
born again. There are people who hospital because everything
transplantation is an extreme
come unable to walk Iive steps, but seemed to go wrong. But Iinally, the work they do. We
s i t uat i on, and i t i s t r ue.
there are those who come quite one day, I could go home.
decided we wanted to Tr a n s p l a n t a t i o n i n s o me
well. In Iact, the day beIore the Everybody leaves hospital and
circumstances is a liberation Irom a
interview him because we
transplant I was working. Anyway, then our lives are much better now.
terrible situation. When we realise
a number oI them come aIter being think he is a person who
we can help them that is a great
hospitalised once, and again, and How would you like everything
helps other people, and motivation Ior all oI us.
again. You can't imagine the rel ated to transpl ants be
the Association over
number oI secondary eIIects when organised in the future?
Are transplantations for all
the liver stops Iunctioning well: We are positive, we think which he presides saves
ages?
Besides the stomach problems, transplants in the Iuture, at least in
lives. Yeah! Sure you have heard some
your skin gets real yellow, terms oI the waiting list, will be
cas es oI chi l dr en wi t h a
encephalopathies ... and you can much better. We hope that soon we
malIormation or deIect who must
Howold is theAssociation?
reach a coma. All these symptoms will eliminate at least 40 oI
be transplanted. Actually, live
ATEHNAwas Iounded in 2008, so
cause a very advanced cirrhosis today's transplants. Just the cure oI
transplantation began with young
it is 6 years old. I became its
and the person Ieels Iatal. As I told hepatitis Cwill mean a reduction oI
children, they needed a very small
president three years ago. The
you beIore, Ior that person 40 oI those which are now done.
liver and surgeons took a small
people who presided over it since
transplantation is a liberation. As a consequence there will be
portion oI their mother's or Iather's
the beginning were exhausted
Then, aIter the surgery, you begin more organs Ior many people who,
liver and put it on the child. When
because running an Association
to improve gradually, slowly and because oI a series oI constraints,
they realised how well it worked
like this is quite tiring, and they had
the time comes when you start to today are not included in the
out, they tried to do it with adults.
decided to leave. Faced with the
Ieel and live quite well. OI course, waiting list. But iI we have enough
Now it is a reality that must be
prospect that it could disappear,
you should always take a big bunch organs there will be no reason not
promoted as there are Iew donors
some oI us decided to continue
oI medi ci nes, but not hi ng to include them.
and more and more people on the
their work. Today we are 36
compared to what you had gone Together with this we have taken
waiting list.
people, and all oI us have received
throughbeIore transplantation. another important step in Navarra,
a liver transplant.
we have started the asystolic organ
Howis the daily life of a patient?
And how has it been the donation protocol. When the donor
Their symptoms, pain, mood
In your case, is this a full time
evolution of the waiting lists in undergoes cardiac death, as soon as
changes ...?
task or do you have a job outside
recent years ? he is declared dead, the doctors
Everyday liIe oI a liver sick person
of theAssociation?
Let's talk about the liver. At begin the recovering oI the organs.
depends plenty on their situation,
I work, but most people with organ
present, April 4, there are 8 people All organs must be recovered
it's not the same iI you are
transplanted are retired because oI
on the waiting list. But the year quickly in order to remain healthy
transplanted, iI you have hepatitis
a working disability. I was allowed
2013 ended with 5; 2012 with 11 and Iunction properly once they are
Cbut you have not had it Ior a long
by my doctor to keep on working.
people ... , and so on down Irom transplanted. Until now those who
time, ... it is very varied.
They discovered my hepatitis in
2006 when there were 21 people. died Irom a heart attack could not
1986.
As you can see it has reduced be donors. But this has changed;
What types of hepatitis are
steadily. However the list oI now a specialized team goes there
there?
What kind of motivations do you
transplants goes up and down, it is instantly as a heart attack occurs.
The top three are the hepatitis A, B
have to continue with this
diIIerent to the waiting list. Shall I They have to do it quickly,
and C. Today the worst oI all is the
project?
give you the transplant list of these otherwise the organs are useless.
new C. Thanks God they are
When someone tells you that you
last years? This year so Iar we have This is called asystolic donation.
developing new medicines Ior this
need a liver transplant you Ieel
had 4 liver transplants. In 2013 There are Iour or Iive oI these
Antonio Garcia Lopez President of ATEHNA
"Transp|antat|on was ||ke be|ng born aga|n
(...} our ||ves are much better now"
donors every year, and each oI you never know about it. But liver
them mean six or seven organs, so rejection is dangerous Ior years, it
you can i magi ne t he bi g is something serious, something to
importance oI this change. be controlled, but maybe Juan
Jesus can speak better oI it.
Finally, drugs to prevent organ
rejection are very advanced and are 1uan 1esus, al so a l i ver
working pretty well. transplant patient, accompanied
Antonio during the interview
Is it hard for you to spend so and shared his experience with
muc h t i me he r e i n t he us.
Association? (11) What I could tell you about
We are all volunteers, we spend rejection is what my doctor, my
much time, it costs us a lot oI hepatologist, told me recently. Iluid retention and periodically had people who volunteered as donors,
money, but we have a great Today losing an organ because oI to have it removed. I was in a very my sister and two brothers in law.
satisIaction. When we talk to rejection is a very rare thing, unpleasant situation, it was hell. Finally the second oI my in-laws
someone who is suIIering, and then although it may still happen. It is And that's when I was told about was compatible. He had not told me
he Ieels better, we think it has been diIIicult because the medication, the transplant. I was really anything and when I knew I asked
worthwhile. When we go to give the immunosuppressants, work Irightened, but then I came to the him: "Have you thought about it
talks to schools and talk to young very well. I am not telling you it Association and saw several twice?"; And he answered:
people about organ donation, we never happens, but it's rare, people, more than twenty years "Everyone knows what to do!". To
see that the kids pay attention, they everything is quite well controlled transplanted, living a normal liIe. I me having three people willing to
get into their minds the idea that in general. Ielt the sky opened. Atransplant is a become donors was a great
'you have to say yes to organ big challenge, but seeing a satisIaction. My gratitude to my
donation," the idea that it may Howhas your life changed? How transplanted person in his eighties brother in law can not be paid, he
happen to you any time in the was it before the transplant?And living a normal liIe ..., yes, that has given me liIe, I would probably
Iuture. You can not say NObecause afterthat? gave me the courage I needed. be dead by now. I can't pay him
a negative answer is terrible. You (11) BeIore transplantation I was back in a liIetime.
should know that in Navarra there doing relatively good, but oI In your case the liver came from
was only one negative answer last course, only relatively. I was your brother in law. When he 1ournalists:
year oI a total oI 19 petitions. In diagnosed with hepatitis C around told you he would give you part Marina Aramendia, Miriam Goi,
terms oI donation Navarra is a very the year 1990. It develops slowly, of his liver, howdid you feel?, Do Wesley Nwanwa, Saray O:co: and
generous community, but we are the years go by and you don't notice you nowfeel closerto him? Alvaro Soto
trying to reach the 100 oI serious symptoms, but gradually (JJ) Believe me, what happens is a
positive answers. your liIe deteriorates. I worked in little diIIicult to explain. You can
the construction sector, and there not go to another person and ask,
And in the world ranking, howis was a time when the doctor told me "Hey, can you give me part oI your
Spain doing? I could not go on, I had to Iind a liver?" In my case I had three
For many years we have been Iirst, more bearable job, something
way beyond the second! I think the which needed less eIIort because
average rate oI transplants Ior my body was getting weaker. I was
Spain is 35 per million inhabitants working until shortly beIore the
and the next country is 5 or 6 points operation in a laundry cleaning
behind us. Spain leads the world in shop, it was a much more relaxed
organ donation, and then Navarra is job.
the Iirst in Spain, so we are Iirst in As Antonio has told you, iI things
the world rankings! are going Iairly well, there is not
much problem, but that was not my
And with your experience in the case. I noticed my eyes turned
Association, how do people take yellow, I had spots on my back, also
transplant rejections? had to go to Irequent doctor
Arejection is a very serious matter. reviews, and I had a swollen liver.
All transplanted patients have a The experience is that once you
rejection that is not even noticed start having problems, soon many
sometimes. We don't notice it more new ones appear. For this
because it happens the Iirst days, r e a s o n a t t h e t i m e o I
when you are in the Intensive Care transplantation I was very aIraid
Unit (ICU) where everything is b e c a u s e m y l i v e r w a s
very much controlled, so possibly malIunctioning, I had begun with
Any advice to pass on the youth of today?
~Become an organ donor! To become an organ
donor you must be 18 years old and register as an
Organ Donor and get your card. When you
register it is important that you tell those closest
to you about your decision. Even iI your name is
on the register, the person closest to you in liIe
will be asked to conIirm that you had not changed
your mind. Putting your name on the register
demonstrates your consent to the use oI your
organs Ior transplantation.
Also you have to be very careful with tattoos
and piercings.
And Iinally, live to the fullest, be as happy as
you can. And going back to our liver
transplantation topic, remember one thing,
nobody is Iree oI being in need oI a transplant,
that's why we must work hard now so that when
the time comes, there is always an available organ
Ior anybody who needs it. Be conscious that you
have to say yes to organ donation, with this we
will save the lives oI many people in the Iuture!