Transplant

eration

pushed the envel

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together and prayed tor the donor and the donor's family.

At 7:20 am, [T went into surgery. The hardest: part was to say goodbye te) Brian. [ knew no matter what happened to me Twas going to be OK, Vd be going toa sate place. I was able to achieve Ubings in my lite that Unever thought 1 would do. [lived for 40. years; outlived what doctors had told me T would, Se if T died, | would have died happy anu with neo regrets, but T knew I would be “leaving Brian and that really hurt.

The one thing Tasked my friends and family, was that no matter what happens, take care of Brian. He had lost both his parents the year before and we had recently fost our cat.

E said to him, ‘Pil see you on the other side’ That had two meanings. One was: if |

don’t make it PM hopetilly sce you in heaven and PH be with you no matter what, in your heart and in your soul and you will never forget me. The other meaning was that if PE made it through, Pd see him in ICU.

The doctor really pushed the envelope, It took 74 hours, when normally it takes” four hours for a double lung trans- plant operation.

They basically open you up like a clamshell and pull out the lungs. “They had a hard time getting, the lings out because CF fungs have very thick blood vessels and they stick to the chest cavity so they literally bad to scrape the lungs out te get thera,

So Tgotinte (CU, and chat was when the real struggle began. The surgeons had to go in asccond time because of the bleeding. ‘This is all a tur for ne.

At day 10, Dhad the stroke.

Benson talks on transplanis

MARGARET Benson was born and raised in North Vancouver. She attended Carisbrooke cle- mentary, Balmoral junior high and Carson Graham

» secondary,

She is the only one of her six siblings who has cystic fibrosis. She inherited a recessive cystic fibrosis (CF) gene from cach of her

parents.

Benson taugiit tor 18 years at Cloverly, Highlands, Blueridge, Boundary and Brooksbank elementary schools, mostly the upper

intermediate grades.

Since her successful double-lung transplant, Benson is able to

; breathe without panic.

“~The success rate for a double-lung transplant is 70 per cent in - the first year and about 55 per cent survival rate after five years. ‘Benson must now take anti-(new organ) rejection drugs for the

rest of her life.

She still has CF that manifests itself in her throat, mouth and

“pancreas. Her.lun

are CF free.

. - Benson lives a busy, healthy life in North Vancouver with her husband Brian, She volunteers as part of an education committee

with the B.C. Transplant Society.

“LT can do almost anything now,” said Benson. She spoke to students in Sutherland's grad class last month.

On Dee.. 11, she will speak about her fife and transplant experi-

ence at Sentinel secondary in West Vancouv' ‘er to more than 400

: students.

Anyone interested in registering as an organ donor may use the Internet at <www.transplant.bc.ca>. Organ donor registration ». forms are also available at all doctors’ offices.

“You are more likely to be in the need of an organ than you © ever are going to be an organ donor,” said Benson. “If it wasn't

for a'donor, I would not be here.”

— Anna Marie D’Angelo

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1 felt tke a hair or scratch was ins my eve. Then all of a stidden my right arm started to shake uncentrolfably. PE don't remember anything atter f saw my shoulder shake. “Phe nurses toh Brian that was the hardest thing for then to watch me have a fidl body seizure for wo minutes, New Dhave ne teeling in my sieht side, but Phave full Movement,

It wast struggle. [had a tra- cheatomy (io help ome Wreathe). 1 finally broke down one day in ICU. Thad this feel- ing of hopelessness. P wept all day.

Then Ewas up on the ward Pohad the trach tube removed. [was talking and cat- ing dental sett foods,

Ve spent Christmas it the he sith There was so much to be thankful for.

Dee. 33, New Year's Eve, | was home. | was able to cele. brate the Year 2000 at home.

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photo submitted

MARGARET Benson's double lung transplant was carried out at Vancouver

General Hospital. Benson’s husband Brian stayed by her side.

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