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V is it in s id e h a lto n .c o m fo r m o re coverage Oakville m an 's story a compelling one for organ donation G ra h a m P a in e /M e tro la n d If Paul Parsons looks like the athletic type, that's because he is, which makes it difficult for many people he meets to believe he had a liver transplant 20 years ago. Parsons hopes his story dispels the myth that transplant patients lead a poor quality of life, and inspires people to register to become organ donors. KATHY YANCH US kyanchus@metroland.com This summer 68-year-old Paul Parsons will celebrate his 20th 'birthday.' In June, it will be two decades since the Oakville man was given a second chance at life, thanks to the compassion of a grieving fam­ ily and the "talented" doctors at Toronto General Hospital (TGH). Parsons was 47, the vice-presi­ dent of sales for a manufacturing company, and on a business trip to Edmonton in 1997 when the symptoms began. "I started feeling ill; I wasn't sure what was going on." The serious abdominal pain didn't ease up so he flew back to Toronto the next day and went di­ rectly to hospital. A series of tests revealed only that some of his liver counts were slightly off. "They tested me for all kinds of different issues, none of which were coming up positive." And then the doctor ordered a test for Alpha -1 Antitrypsin Defi­ ciency, "a pretty rare illness, and sure enough it came back as posi­ tive." The diagnosis came with the news that the only option for this genetic disease was a new liver; there was no medication, no cure. Along with acute weakness and ongoing abdominal pain, Par­ sons developed two deep vein thromboses in his right leg as well as ascites, fluid buildup in the ab­ domen, which had to be drained weekly. In what he remembers as a "whirlwind day" three months af­ ter his name was added to the transplant list, Parsons got the call. Or at least the hospital called, but Parsons and his wife Cecilie, on the train coming home from an appointment at TGH, missed it, and the liver was given to his 'back up.' "I said, 'Well, that's OK, just don't forget about me.'" About half an hour later the phone rang again; the potential recipient had failed the physical. The couple jumped back in the car headed to TGH for pre-op pro­ cedures and the operating room where Parsons received a new liv­ er. "That was 20 years ago and I've never had an issue, never had a rejection. I do everything I used to do prior to the transplant. I played basketball in university and I still play basketball. I'm a six handi­ cap golfer, the lowest I've ever been. "Some people think after organ donation you're decrepit, that you just don't have the same quality of life. That's absolutely not the case." Parsons, now vice-president of sales for a software company, has participated in two World Trans­ plant Games held in locales around the world. "The whole purpose of it is to demonstrate how well organ do­ nation works and that all these people can lead healthy, happy, normal lives after transplants. The goal is to get organ donation awareness up and registrations up as well." This summer, he and a group of family and friends will cele­ brate his "20th birthday." "I'm so grateful that there are people as dedicated as the doctors and nurses at TGH; they are just wonderful at what they do. To this day they still take wonderful care of me. I have been their model pa- - Paul Parsons tient. Nobody would ever think that I've had a transplant; when I tell people they just can't believe it." Parsons is currently involved in a TGH research study headed by Dr. Gary Levy, former head of the multi-organ transplant pro­ gram - to wean him off the anti-re­ jection drugs he's been taking since the transplant. "There are a certain percent­ age of people that have certain ge­ netic markers that predispose them to maybe not require rejec­ tion medication." The study allows him to 'repay' those who saved his life, he said. "Anything I can do to give back and have other people benefit, I'm all for. "The plan is that in about three months I'll be completely off all medications and that will be that." Obviously, he will be moni­ tored and undergo regular blood tests and liver biopsies. The drugs cause high blood pressure, and increase his risk of cancer, he said. "There are people that are lon­ ger than 20 years (survivors). I think the success rate is extreme­ ly high for people who have trans­ plants today; their knowledge is so much greater now than it was 20 years ago; the surgical tech­ niques and the drugs, everything has improved. "The greatest thing for me was the ability to see my daughter grow up. She was only eight years old when this happened. My daughter (Kelsey) and I have an extraordinarily close relation­ ship and to be around for her, to see her grow up to be the woman that she is today, is my greatest joy and my greatest accomplish­ ment in life for sure." Parsons is amazed that the per­ centage of people registered to be organ donor is not higher. "It just amazes me that people will go to the grave with organs that could save peoples' lives and affect the lives of many many more." He is extremely grateful to the family who turned personal trag­ edy into a gift of life for him those 20 years ago. He has written the family twice, once from his hospital bed after receiving his new liver and again on his fifth anniversary. "I never heard back. It might be a difficult situation receiving a letter from someone who received part of your loved one and maybe they don't want to open that wound again. But I would love to meet them, that would be incred­ ible if I could meet them." "The greatest thing for me was the ability to see my daughter grow up. She was only eight years old when this happened. My daughter and I have an extraordinarily close relationship and to be around for her, to see her grow up to be the woman that she is today, is my greatest joy and my greatest accomplishment in life for sure. " ^ | O akville B eaver | T h u rsd ay, A pril 19 ,2 0 1 8 in sid eh alto n .co m mailto:kyanchus@metroland.com