Michael 鈥淢ac鈥� Blackwell is now able to do things he hasn鈥檛 done in years thanks to the kindness of his brother.
The 亚洲天堂 Lake man, who now lives in Prince George underwent a successful transplant operation in April when his brother Neil donated a kidney.
鈥淚鈥檓 feeling better than I鈥檝e felt for years,鈥� Michael said. 鈥淚 have way more energy. I used to puff and gasp after walking up stairs. But I walked 30 blocks the other day in Vancouver. It felt good.鈥�
Michael had since 2001 struggled with Berger鈥檚 disease, a disorder that causes kidney inflammation. Doctors told him at the time that his kidneys were functioning at about 36 per cent. The functioning rate gradually fell over the years until they hit a low of eight per cent last August.
He was put on a dialysis machine and could no longer work at his forestry business.
鈥淚 was feeling pretty low. No energy and I was nauseous all the time. My legs were swollen and I was unable to work because I was at the hospital three times a week for dialysis,鈥� he said.
He began the process of searching for a kidney donor. His wife, sister, brother-in-law and niece came forward but they weren鈥檛 the right medical match.
But testing revealed that his brother Neil was the right match. His kidneys were at an 85-per cent functioning rate.
鈥淚 had to do seven-day blood tests, MRI, CT scans, ultrasounds,鈥� Neil said. 鈥淚 found out that I鈥檓 pretty healthy.鈥�
The transplant operation was supposed to have happened earlier but both of the Blackwells caught COVID-19 which delayed the procedure.
The brothers, once recovered from COVID-19, finally had the operation on April 11 in Vancouver General Hospital.
鈥�(Neil) went in an hour or two before me. They removed his kidney first and then they brought me in and put his kidney in me. My other kidneys weren鈥檛 diseased, so they gave me a third kidney. They left my two in and put in a third. I had never heard of that before but it鈥檚 quite common.鈥�
He was in the hospital recovering for about seven hours. He has been feeling better and better ever since.
Neil was released from the hospital two days after the operation, walked three blocks to his hotel and felt fine, he said.
鈥淭he doctor said as soon as all my organs started working properly I could eat and drink what I wanted and my lifestyle would go back to normal. After a few days I had a steak and everything was good. I was pretty sore for a couple days but nothing that I couldn鈥檛 handle. I鈥檝e felt more nervous about getting teeth pulled than getting a kidney taken out!鈥� Neil said, laughing.
He added that he wouldn鈥檛 think twice about doing it again for his brother.
鈥淚t feels good to be able to help somebody out that way. Anyone who has the opportunity to give a kidney should do it,鈥� he said.
As for Michael, he has been off the dialysis treatment since the surgery and is looking forward to returning to work in June.
鈥淚t鈥檚 certainly a blessing to be from a great family,鈥� he said. 鈥淒uring the time I was on dialysis I talked to people who had been on dialysis for three to five years and I was just on it for 10 months. I鈥檓 very fortunate.鈥�
