TAMWORTH man Steve Gribbin has received a potentially life-saving liver transplant and already is looking towards helping others in his community.
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After spending 18 months waiting for a transplant, the former waste services technical officer with the Tamworth council is keen to do what he can for others – and get back on his feet.
But he admits life will be different, again.
Mr Gribbin was called down to Sydney for the transplant at 7pm on January 23 and told to arrive by 7am the next morning.
Third time proved to be the charm for Mr Gribbin, who had received the transplant call twice before.
Mr Gribbin said he was travelling “pretty well” but was still a bit sore and carrying a massive wound from the nine-hour operation, but that doctors were happy with his progress.
“I could be home in three or four weeks, but each day they’re doing blood tests and changing medication,” he said.
“I’ve got a little infection running at the moment.
“It’s just a matter of everything coming together correctly.”
Mr Gribbin said he was “pretty happy” spending a total of 18 months on the transplant waiting list.
“As you get sicker, the closer you get to the top of the list,” he said.
Mr Gribbin and his family have already noticed an “amazing difference” in his complexion and physical strength, telling The Leader he was able to clench a fist for the first time in five or six years.
While the transplant is a potential life-saver, he said there would be new challenges to face, being told he would be an “insulin-dependent diabetic” for the rest of his life and would have to watch what he eats.
“I can’t eat anything that’s reheated. Food poisoning is a really big risk,” he said.
“I have to be careful for the rest of my life.”
Mr Gribbin said he would never get to know the donor’s family but was encouraged to write them a letter.
“I’ve been a volunteer my whole adult life, but in the last five or six years I haven’t been able to do anything,” he said.
“I think I want to tell them the donation will help me get back to helping people in my community.”
With the federal government announcing plans to shift organ donation registration to a completely online process by May this year, Mr Gribbin said Australia would still lag behind Europe in donation rates.
More than 20 European countries have “opt-out” organ donation policies, which presume consent and put the onus on people to refuse donation, rather than registering for it.
