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`Nothing better in the world' recipient says of liver donation Your on-line Source for local General Hospital in February and it was Jackie said she knew for years that she successful. All four women have high praise would be a liver donor for her sister, but for the team at Toronto General. Both Francie Egerton and O'Neill are that wasn't the case for Mary. Francie's grateful for what their sisters have done. need for a liver donation arose very quickly "It's amazing," said Egerton. "To have last fall. somebody do that for you is unbelievable. Francie began suffering severe abdomiYou hope that you would be the same way. nal pain and bloating last October. The There's nothing better in the world." symptoms got worse, but it took doctors O'Neill said at the time she was so worsome time before she was finally diagnosed ried for her sister's health that her biggest with a viral infection of the liver. By late November Francie's husband fear was something might happen to her. "It totally takes the focus off yourself," Jim said her condition was so critical that said O'Neill. doctors at Toronto General Hospital told Jim said Francie was so ill at the time of him she had only 48 hours to live unless her transplant that she had no idea what she received a new liver. was going on. She was put at the top of the transplant "I worried for the both of us," he said. list but there were no livers available so "To have two family members in there, it Jim said they put the word out to family that they needed a liver from a living donor. was brutal." Along with being Francie's sisLiving donors donate a piece of their liver. ter, Mary is married to his brother Peter. Both donors are matter of fact about The donor can function without all of their sharing their livers with their sisters. liver, which regenerates to its normal previ"It's just what you do. There's no doubt ous size in a few months. she would do it for me if Family would be the best I needed it," said Poirier. match. "There was no quesOne family member tion, it had to be done," after another stepped up said Mary. to be tested. --Donor Mary Egerton Both Francie and Males were the first O'Neill will be on antichoice because their livrejection drugs for their ers are bigger, said Jim, rest of their lives and there are side effects. but when a match couldn't be found there, Francie said there have been ups and Mary underwent the testing which was downs in her recovery and she estimates done in one day and she was deemed a she's at about 60 per cent of when she was match. Due to Francie's grave condition the healthy. O'Neill has had a longer recovery time but Poirier said "we're getting there." transplant was done the following day. All four stress the importance of more Mary's surgery, in which they took 70 people consenting to be organ donors. per cent of her liver lasted nine hours, and According to the Trillium Gift of Life Francie's was approximately 10 hours. The Network in Ontario there are currently transplant was successful. 1,500 people on the waiting list for an orFrancie spent a month at Toronto General before she was transferred to St. John's gan transplant and every three days someRehab Hospital for several weeks before one in the province dies waiting for a lifesaving transplant. she was able to come home on Feb. 1. Only 20 per cent of eligible Ontarians Mary was in hospital for five days and have registered consent to donate. Famiback to work in eight weeks. lies of registered donors almost always reO'Neill was diagnosed with primary bilaffi rm consent when they see evidence of iary cirrhosis 24 years ago. It's a chronic their loved one's donation decision. But if disease that causes the bile ducts in the liver to become inflamed and damaged and, they are unsure or unaware of what their ultimately, disappear. When the bile ducts loved one would have wanted, consent is become damaged from chronic inflamma- given only 50 per cent of the time. To date this year there have been 210 livtion, bile builds up in the liver, injuring living donors in Ontario. er tissue. As a result, she knew a liver transAnyone interested in registering their plant would be in her future and Poirier consent to be an organ or tissue donor can said she knew she would be the donor. do so online at BeADonor.ca; or in person "I've been mentally preparing myself for 10 years. I knew it was going to happen. at a ServiceOntario centre; or by visiting I was always careful about what kinds of BeADonor.ca to download, complete and medication I took," said Poirier. Both her mail a Gift of Life consent form. The traditional donor card which Onand O'Neill's children wanted to be donors but Poirier said, "there was no way I was tarians may carry in their wallet pre-dates going to let one of them do it if I could do Ontario's registry, so a signed donor card-- while still valid-- does not mean an indiit." O'Neill didn't want any of them to be do- vidual is registered. Visit www.BeADonor. ca to check your registration status or to nors. "The family had to convince her that it register for the first time. would be okay for one of us to do it," said For more details on Trillium Gift of Life Poirier. Network go to www.giftoflife.on.ca or call The transplant was also done at Toronto 416-363-4001 or toll free 1-800-263-2833. Continued from pg. 1 13 Independent & Free Press, Thursday, November 17, 2011 news ....all the time...anytime HEARING SCIENCES "One comes finally to believe whatever one repeats to one's self, whether the statement is true or false." - Napoleon Hill You may think that your hearing loss is not noticeable to others, but that is usually not the case. It may surprise some people to know that 40% of the patients we see for a hearing assessment first become aware of the severity of their hearing loss from a spouse or other family member. It often seems as if those speaking are at fault. They are mumbling or not speaking clearly. In fact, the feeling that everyone is mumbling or "speaking underwater" is one of the first and clearest signs of a hearing loss. The first step to better hearing is a hearing test. Audiology and Hearing Aid Centre `There was no question it had to be done.' BRING IN THIS AD FOR A COMPLIMENTARY HEARING TEST ($60.00 VALUE. AGE 55+. VALID UNTIL DECEMBER 2, 2011) GEORGETOWN 905-877-0099 211 Guelph St., Suite 1 (in the M&M plaza, across from Winners) Share Christmas Cheer! THE GEORGETOWN FIRE FIGHTERS ASSOCIATION will be collecting your donations of NEW UNWRAPPED TOYS for the SALVATION ARMY TOY DRIVE at the 80TH ANNUAL GEORGETOWN SANTA CLAUS PARADE this Saturday. So come out & show your Christmas Spirit.