Organ Donation is one of the most powerful gifts you can leave behind – by donating your organs and tissue after you die, you can save or improve as many as 75 lives.
South Africa (26 August 2022) – In January 2020, Mike Cohen was lucky enough to have a much-needed, life-saving heart transplant. Since then, he and his wife Amy have worked to raise awareness about how organ donation saves countless lives.
August, National Organ Donor Awareness Month, is an excellent time to share their story.
Did you know?
- There are currently around 5,000 South African adults and children waiting for a life-saving organ or cornea transplant.
- One organ donor can save seven other people’s lives, with the heart, liver and pancreas able to save three lives, and the kidneys and lungs can help up to four people.
- One tissue donor can help up to 50 people by donating their corneas, skin, bone, tendons and heart valves.
- Signing up as an organ donor won’t cost you a cent or involve medical tests. You can change your mind later – signing up just shows your willingness to donate your organs once you pass on.
Mike Cohen is a husband, father and entrepreneur. He describes his lifelong lifestyle as “active, active, active.” He played amateur provincial rugby for 16 years when he was younger. Back then, he would exercise for around 36 hours a week.
“I went to gym five days a week without fail, too,” he says.
Exercise is very good for the heart. However, Mike had no idea that he’d been born without enough blood supply to a small section of his heart.
In 1999 Mike’s heartbeat became irregular for five days. Scans were inconclusive. Then, in 2008, he collapsed on the rugby field. So began a journey of appointments with multiple doctors and specialists (16 in total). By 2017 his heart was massively enlarged. For the next three years, Mike experienced a series of serious health complications until, in June 2019, his cardiologist suggested he go onto the transplant list.
“Getting onto the transplant list means following a thorough process,” says Mike. Amy adds, “You have to see many specialists and also make sure you have support at home so that your recovery after your transplant is optimal. There is such a huge need for donor organs in the country, so it’s essential to make sure that the recipient will do all they can to protect the donated organ.”
In September 2019, Mike was added to the heart transplant waiting list.
“By January 2020, I was sleeping most of the day, absolutely exhausted,” says Mike.
“I prayed all day long that each day would be the day a heart would be available,” says Amy.
That same month, Mike got the call telling him to go to the hospital to start the process of receiving his new heart. After the transplant, Mike faced a series of complications, but about four months later, things began to look up. Mike is incredibly grateful to be a Discovery Health member, given the extremely high cost of his treatments, eventual transplant, and the lifelong medicines he must take.
According to DHMS claims data:
- From 2017 to 2021, Discovery Health Medical Scheme funded 48 heart, 41 lung, 112 liver, 3 kidney and pancreas, 243 kidney, 16 pancreas and 166 bone marrow stem cell transplants. Selfless, anonymous organ donors enabled most of these life-saving procedures (including some related living donors for the kidney transplants).
- In 2021, 101 transplants were carried out costing approximately R71.1 million.
Amy gave birth to their son Max in September 2021 – a true blessing and a dream come true for their family.
Mike is getting stronger by the day. “I can’t manage to run a full 5km route yet. I kind of do a walk-run but it’s so exciting to be able to exercise!” he says.
He checks his blood pressure and heart rate daily and adjusts the medicines he takes as advised by his doctors. He’ll carry on being monitored into the future. Mike knows things could’ve turned out differently.
“Unfortunately, some of the people I’ve met haven’t made it because of the lack of available organs,” he says. Amy adds: “We were given such an amazing gift and we will do all we can to make people aware of the massive need for organ donation.”
Mike uses his “heart birthday” (the day of his transplant) to promote organ and blood donation.
“We thank the selfless people who sign up and donate as they give others the ultimate gift – another chance at life.”
Organ transplants only take place after a donor has been declared brain dead but is still being supported on a ventilator or through artificial life support. The recipient will receive the donated organ shortly after it is retrieved from the donor. Tissue retrievals can still take place several hours and even days after death. Tissues are stored at a tissue bank and available as needed.
To become an organ donor, simply register with the Organ Donor Foundation or call 0800 22 66 11 toll-free during office hours.
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