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Patrick Davis

My Story of Hope

Seventy years ago, the great Lou Gehrig spoke these words to a throng of spectators at Yankee Stadium; "Today I consider myself the luckiest man on the face of this earth." At the time Gehrig was dying from the disease that would later bear his name.

Today I echo those same memorable words in that I too consider myself, the luckiest and I might add the most blessed and happiest man on the face of this earth – with the notable exception of course that I have made that glorious transition from death to life. And not only life, but to good health as well.

Good morning, my name is Pat Davis and I am here today with my courageous and incredible wife Donna. Our story is really her story, for without her extraordinary love for me, I would not be here. Together we know of no words adequate enough to express our appreciation to Dr. Anthony Jevnikar and to the London Health Sciences Centre, and to share with you just a few words about the value of research and how it has made a difference in our lives. We tell anyone who will listen that if you are going to be gravely ill, the best place to be is in London, Ontario where we have access to the extraordinarily skilled professionals at the London Health Sciences Centre and brilliant researchers at the University of Western Ontario.

I was first diagnosed with kidney disease when I was six years old. Over the next 45 years I was hospitalized more than 100 times, had 22 major surgical procedures, spent 20 years on dialysis and endured the pain and anguish of three failed kidney transplants, all acute - after which I was told I could never have another transplant, and I would be doomed to a life dependent on daily dialysis treatments. And while I am thankful for the dialysis treatments that sustained my life, we need you to know that dialysis treatments have little regard for the quality of one's life.

There were sustained periods in my life when I could not work, and at no time could I travel and family vacations were near impossible. Donna and I went to bed every night knowing that every moment, activity and decision we would make was subject to my treatments. No one, not even me knows, or could hope to understand the pain, the fear and the sacrifices endured by Donna and our daughter Lisa. I was it seemed an irreparably broken husband and father. Lisa was just six years old when I started on dialysis and some of her earliest memories include her mother wiping up pools of my blood on the floor after all too frequent dialysis mishaps. It was a terrible thing for a little girl to have to see and live with. I wasn't like other dads. I could not run and play. Our home with a big dialysis machine in the centre of the dining room was not like the homes of her friends. I have been blessed far more than I ever deserved and if I could ask for just one more thing, I would ask that Lisa could be six years old again and I would be the way I am now.

But you know dialysis kept me alive long enough and well enough to get to November 7th, 2007. And for that we have to also acknowledge and express our deepest gratitude again to LHSC and especially to Dr. Bob Lindsay and Nurse Rosemary Leitch who took such wonderful care of us for all those 20 years. And their efforts also are a testament to the value and the importance of their pioneering research in the area of daily dialysis in contrast to thrice weekly treatments which really are physically devastating over time.

However, by 2006 I had had enough. Every year I was losing ground and I felt my life was ebbing away, physically, emotionally and mentally. I had far-exceeded the average mortality rate for dialysis patients but I knew that couldn't go on much longer. And I must confess I was more than just a little bit angry at life and the cards I had been dealt. I watched my father and my younger brother die from the same kidney disease (PKD) that I had and who never had a chance for even one transplant, let alone four. Another brother who died in a car accident also had the same disease as now does his son and my nephew.

Perhaps I was being selfish. I had a beautiful, loving and supportive family and professionally I was doing the job I was born to do and loving it. But I was tired, tired of being sick and tired of losing to my disease. I believed that I had fought the good fight. And so I had started to think about losing on my terms. That meant stopping dialysis and letting nature take its course. I talked to my doctors and nurses and was surprised to learn it wasn't all that uncommon. I spoke to my pastor about it who understood and to Donna who did not. And allow me to add a word about my wife of 34 years and the love we enjoy. Donna and I never wanted fame or fortune, or a big fancy house. All we ever wanted out of life was to simply grow old together and maybe travel a little. It doesn't seem like a lot to expect, except when one of you is so sick, you know it will only ever be a dream. And in all those years I never heard Donna complain even one time.

It was Donna who first raised the idea of trying living related donation. We had heard of some exciting new developments in this field, and in fact a couple we knew had recently gone through a successful transplant where the wife had donated a kidney to her husband and it was from them we first heard about Dr. Jevnikar and the work he was doing. And so we approached him to see if we could be considered.

Now for reasons I do not understand but that Dr. Jevnikar could explain to you, my immune system is such that he didn't think I would be a very good candidate. I was after all a three-time loser and never once able to leave hospital with a working transplant. But we persisted and I finally told him there were only three options open to me if he did the transplant – I could live, I could die or I could end back on dialysis and two of those three options were fine with me, because I knew I was never going back on dialysis. He then asked me what I would consider to be a good outcome and I told him that six months – that if I could have a working kidney for just six months it would be worth the risk and all the ordeal that would ensue if I could have just six months dialysis free. And so finally he agreed.

But he warned me that he was going to throw pretty much everything at me including the kitchen sink if necessary to prepare my body before, during and after the transplant. And he did. He brought to bear on me all his skill, his intellect and his research so that we could have a successful outcome.

And on November 7th 2007, Donna and I were wheeled in to adjacent operating rooms where the equally gifted and brilliant surgeon Dr. Patrick Luke performed my transplant, and it was through their combined efforts that I am standing before you today.

So, what has happened since? Donna's kidney has now been working inside my body for 16 months. I am as well and as healthy as any other prone to over-indulgence 52-year-old that I know. Life for me is incredible and far beyond what we ever expected.

Four months ago, on exactly the one year anniversary of our transplant we took our daughter and son-in-law on a real vacation where Donna and I renewed our vows. During the ceremony I spoke the beautiful words penned by Robert Browning to Donna and which give life and meaning to all we had ever hoped for, "Come along and grow old with me, the best is yet to be." And come this weekend we will be sailing the Caribbean aboard the Crown Princess, something we always wanted to do but never believed possible. We do not know what our future will be, but we intend to live our dreams... while we can... and for as long as we can.

In closing, I want to offer a word of encouragement to all those who suffer from organ failure. Never give up – I honestly believe if I can have a successful transplant, anyone can. Brilliant scientists like Dr. Jevnikar and all the others at LHSC and Western are truly shaping the future of healthcare, wellness and medical discovery. And along with the generous support of companies like Wyeth Pharmaceuticals here today with the Canadian Institute for Health Research, then I say for you too … the best is yet to be.

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