Where to begin ...

I got a call from my brother around 6pm last Tuesday night to say his daughter Margi was having heart transplant surgery at 10 pm that night. She's been on the waiting list for several years.

They’d received a call around lunchtime to say a heart was available and they had to be at the hospital by 4pm. As we live at least 3 hrs away from Auckland (maybe more considering school hols traffic) there wasn’t an awful lot of time to spare. They made it, she had some more tests, got prepped and was off.

The transplant itself was a success. Unfortunately complications arose not long after she got back to the room. The heart wasn’t pumping on one side. She was put on life support and heart bypass machine hoping they could regulate the heart with drugs but no joy. She ended back in surgery again 12 hrs after the transplant to see if they could find any reason why the heart wasn’t pumping – but they couldn’t. 6 hrs later she was back in surgery again. This time to remove a blood clot.

I decided on Wednesday afternoon to go to Auckland. I picked my sister up in Te Aroha along the way. My brother was really quite distraught and rightly so. I just wanted to make sure he had some support.

I have to tell you people nothing prepared me for seeing Margi lying on the bed with all these machines around her. My mum had heart bypass surgery about 6 years ago but this is something else altogether. She has 13 drips in her.

I also wasn’t prepared to find out they had not stitched her up. They just had a plastic sheet taped over the incision. This was in case they had to operate again - it meant less trauma to the heart. Not nice. It’s so hard not to get emotional but you have to be strong for her.

My brother was telling me on the way up she was so excited and bubbly. She was like a 7 yr old going to a chocolate factory. She was going to join a gym and go on her OE.

Then 24 hrs later here she is struggling for her life. Doctors were hoping that being on the bypass machine and the drugs would give the heart a rest and it be able to regulate itself. Saturday was a critical day. They slowly tried to get her off the bypass but nothing was happening so they stopped. The cardiac team up there are just fantastic. She's in a deep coma but they're always talking to her, stroking her and joking with her. She has the best of care.

The family has been told things aren't looking good and it will take a miracle. A decision will need to be made this week with regard to turning off the life support.

But I believe in miracles and positive thinking. They are powerful. So send your prayers and your positive thoughts to a young girl lying in ICU that her start will start beating.

I also want to share with you a couple of other things that I have learnt this week.

I found out that Margi was the 216th heart transplant recipient in NZ. This kind of shocked me - I thought it would have been more than that. The first NZ heart transplant was done in 1987. 32 years ago. On average there's about 8 a year.

I also found out that even if you have on your drivers licence that you wish to be a donor your wishes can be over ruled by your family. I can see both sides. I can imagine how difficult it is for the family who have just lost there loved one to have to make such a decision so quickly and also for those who are waiting and may die waiting for that vital organ to give them life.

Please if you have chosen to become a donor, please discuss and let your family and loved ones know. If your families know your wishes it's a better likelihood that they will abide by them.

I'll be back shortly so behave yourselves and keep your hands out of the fridge and pantry!!!!!

Ciao