SURGERY IN EDMONTON NV heart transplant recipient improves NORTH VANCOUVER heart transplant) patient Chris Bond’s condition has been upgraded from serious to stable. The 35-year-old) Bond. who underwent a five-hour transplant operation Aug. 3, has been recos- ering well and has now been trans- ferred to the cardiovascular ward. “He's no longer critical,” Uni- versity of Alberta Hospital cardiac transplant ceordinator Judy Boychuk told the News Tuesday in a telephone interview from Ed- monton. “There have been no complications,”* In general, heart recipients such as Bond can expect to return home anywhere from three to six months after the operation, Boychuk said. But she could not say specifically when Bond would be discharged. During the last two months of his stay in Edmonton, Bond will visit the hospital as an outpatient. During that time ‘‘there will be some blood work ard so on to en- sure the organ is functioning well,"’ said Boychuk. Bond will also have training on how to deal with his post-operative lifestyle. “They (heart recipients) can do almost anything they want to do,”’ By STEPHEN BARRINGION News Keporter she said. “But we discourage con- tact sports because of the drugs theyv’re on.” To prevent the new organ from being rejected, heart transplant pa- tients must take drugs to suppress the body's immune system. “He is on immune suppressants for the rest of his life,’ said Boyehuk. But in addition to preventing tie new organ from being rejected, the drugs also slow healing, a con- sideration for anyone playing con- tact sports. After the first year with a new heart, a transplant patient will have a survival rate of 85 per cent, Boychuk said. For each year after that, the survival rate increases. “But not dramatically,” stresses. On Saturday, 21-year-old Ladner heart recipient Rod Murray died at UBC's Health Science Cen- tre Hospital after developing lym- she phoma — cancer of the Ismph vlands -- believed to be caused by the anti-rejeection drug evelosporing. Bond will be taking the same drug. But Boschuk said that the drug therapy used at the University of Atberta Hospital is a combination of three different anti-rejection drugs, only one of which is evelosporine. Asked if Bond is in danger of developing the cancer, she replied: “One can’t individualize that kind of potential complication.** Although the North Vancouver resident experienced no complica- tions during his surgery or so far dur- ing his recovery, Boychuk explained that any potential problems usually hinge on the patient's pre-surgery condition. Bond surfered two heart attacks ihis summer, one nine weeks ago and another two weeks after that. He had been in hospital for a month prior to the transplant. His family -— wife Carol, seven-year-old son Peter and five- year-old daughter Lisa — is cur- rently living in Edmonton. 3 - Friday, August 15, 1986 - North Shore News N. VAN BOATERS KILLED Shipwreck claims two ee — AN INQUEST bas been ordered into the deaths of a father and son trom North Vancouver whose hodies were recovered ott the west coust of Vancouver Island Wednesday afternoon. ’ Cuptain Denis A. Wardell. 58, and his 17-year-old son David James were the only crew ona Sl-foot motor saifboat which was shipwrecked off Estevan Point, near Nootka Sound, Police reported the boat went aground on rocks sometime ducing the evening of Aug. 12 or during the early morning hours of Aug. 13. RCMP from Vancouver Island's Tahsis detachment ure in- sestigating the incident, which destroyed the 2achena If. The boat is owned by Expo 86 director and champion racer John Newton. The Pachena Uf was well known for its participation in the Swift- sure Yacht Race, Wardell, of 820 Forest Hills Drive, had been an active member of the Royal Vancouver Yacht Club since 1979. He is survived by wife, Joan, ‘hrisimas carol ships. Christmas carol ships i t t H For the past six or seven years Wardell acted as commodore on the A friend, who requested he not be named, said Wardell, a former ship appraiser, was always the first to volunteer for communily ser- vice, and he was an ‘‘extremely capable captain."' The Tofino Coast Guard radio reported weather conditions on the night of the accident included a tight breeze, good visibility for 15 The cause of the accident and the damage cost to the vessel is not t $ i { miles and seas of two-foot waves. | yet known. SEYMOUR VALLEY OPENS TO COMMUNITY Public gets a peek at local watershed NEXT SPRING hikers and other outdoor enthusiasts could be exploring the Lower Seymour Valley — a watershed area that has been closed to the public since the early 30s. Doug MekKay, commissioner of the Greater Vancouver Water District (GVWD), said an advisory committee, is currently studying how this goal could be achieved, and will be making recommenda- tions in the fallto the GVW. “ECs a pretty exciting project,” MeKay said. “We've targeted next spring for pubiic access."' The Seymour Watershed in total is approximately 60 square miles. One third of the area makes up the THE MAINTENANCE foreman at the Seymour Watershed, spillway (pictured above) at the Seymour Dam. Daniels won't be alone on the site if a recommendation that the watershed be opened to the public for recreational purposes is approved by the Greater Vancouver Regional District. NEWS photos Stuart Davis Bill Daniels (top photo), walks above the By KIM PEMBER News Repu Lower Sevmour Watershed, which Hies downstream of the Seymour Falls Dam. The GVWD is supplied by the Seymour, Capiiano and Coquitlam Watersheds, Mckay said possible recreational uses for Lower Seymour include hiking, canoeing, fishing and an educational program about forest management practices. ACCESS POSSIBLE While giving the public access to the Lower Seymour is a ‘very real” possibility, McKay said the main consideration is that nothing is done (o pre-empt the potential use of the area for water supply to Greater Vancouver. “We still have the dam and the main pipe lines going through the area,” he said. “We'd have to reserve areas for a water treatment plant. And we also don’t want fo give up. its long-term potential for providing (waiter) storave supply.” He said currently water is not stored in’ the Lower Seymour Watershed. Recent studies indicate future demands on Greater Vancouver's water supply can be supplied more economically from the Coquitkim water Souree, MeRKay said) originally it) was thought thar the Sevmour Water- shed would be developed as a water supply for the eastern area. But it was found that cotal capital costs in transporting water from Seymour would be $79 million as opposed to $39 million from Co- quitlam. The Seymour Watershed is ad- jacent to Lynn Creek Regional Park. Lynn Creek was a watershed until 1983 when North Vancouver joined the GVWD, and instead received its water supply from the Seymour and Capilano watersheds, MeKay said a park in the Lower Seymour area would complement the Lynn Creek Park. VARIED APPEAL “The development of Lynn Valley as a wilderness park attracts the type of person who is interest- ed in hiking. Whereas, an area fike Seymour would attract more casu- al visits,"* he said. “It's ceally a great asset to have those two in the community side by side.”* McKay said funding is another consideration in opening the area to the public. He noted money may be available from the federal government to provide an educa- tional program on forest manage- ment, But he said whether the pro- ject costs come from water utilities or the region's general tax base is a question that has yet to be ad- dressed. He added the esact costs are not yet Known, Jeff Jefferd, coordinator of the North and West) Vaneouver Emergency Program, said he doesn’t foresee any problems with the public hiking in the sLower Seyvinour area. “They have a pretty good sign- in system going on right now in the GVRD Wilderness Park. If they continue to enforce that we shouldn't have any problems." he said, He said the emergency program did not receive any calls of lost hikers in the Upper Lynn Valley. “| would hope they put good trails in there. “T think it’s an excellent idea, it’s quite safe, and it gives people the opportunity to go hiking,’’ he said.