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Yukon Emploee Celebrates Life 10 Years Strong!
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Ann Arthur proudly displays her creative efforts to help spread the word and promote Organ Donor Awareness for the month of April. | |
April, 2008
She was 21 and healthy, or so she thought. Unaware of what was happening inside her body; Ann Arthur donated blood with OBI in April of 1998. On June 20th she received a letter stating OBI could not use her blood due to abnormal liver numbers. Feeling fine, she made an appointment to see her physician who told her that upon observation her liver seemed fine, but wanted to re-run the lab work from OBI. With abnormal lab results once again, more tests were requested.
However, before these tests results were available, Ann's health quickly declined. On Thursday June 25th, Ann woke up with her eyes the color of bright yellow and her skin the color of golden yellow. Still feeling fine, she worked her normal 8am - 5pm shift that day and even with a low grade temperature, she attended evening classes. With signs and symptoms of the stomach flu and frequent episodes of passing out, Ann was instructed to go immediately to the hospital. At that point, full body jaundice had set in and by the time Ann's father arrived at the Emergency Room, he didn't even recognize his own daughter.
The following morning, Ann was transferred to INTEGRIS Baptist Medical Center where she met with a liver specialist who placed her in the Transplant ICU as they were the most equipped to handle her case. Shortly after a liver biopsy, Ann slipped into a coma and her family was notified that if she did not receive a liver transplant, she would not make it through the weekend. Ann was immediately placed on the transplant waiting list, where just after a few short hours, a donor match with her rare blood type became available.
It was in the early morning hours of Saturday, June 27, 1998 that Ann underwent her six hour life saving liver transplant. During that surgery, Ann had a 'heart stopping' experience in which her heart literally stopped and had to be manually massaged by her surgeon to get it started again. Following a successful surgery procedure, Ann faced kidney dialysis and several plasma exchanges to help remove all the toxins in her body from the old liver. Ann later learned that she had, Wilson's Disease, which is a copper overload in the body due to the liver missing an enzyme that metabolizes the copper. The good news is that since the liver was removed, the disease process is gone too.
Two months following her transplant, Ann retuned to school and completed her Physical Therapist Assistant degree in 1999. Today, Ann is employed with INTEGRIS Canadian Valley, the same "family" that helped save her life just 10 years ago this June!
Reflecting on her experience, Ann states, "I am so grateful to the nurses and doctors that performed my surgery and who have remained in my life the past several years. Without their skillful hands, the transplant would not have been possible." But most importantly, Ann gives thanks to her donor, "Without this
precious life saving gift, I would not be here today celebrating life 10 years strong!"
Ann wants to share the importance of organ donation. "Just one person's gift can save up to 50 lives and is as simple as signing the back of your driver's license or registering at www.lifesharereqistrv.org." It only takes a few minutes to give the Gift of Life - so ask yourself, would you be willing to save the life of someone like Ann?
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INTEGRIS Canadian Valley Hospital
1201 Health Center Parkway
Yukon, OK 73099
(405) 717-6800INTEGRIS HealthLine
(888) 951-2277 |
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