Organ donation: Aline, I live with the heart of another
Hereditary disease
His grandfather and then his father - aged 29 - died of a disease called "dilated myocardium or heart hoof". The heart grows on one side only and when the disease starts, it inevitably leads to death. Still little known at the death of his dad, this anomaly of the heart did not spare Aline. She showed up when she was 13 years old with shortness of breath and a slightly more developed heart. "I led the normal life of a teenager if only twice a year, I went to the hospital Pitié-Salpétrière in Paris, to make examinations. I did not like these three days of hospitalization, I put myself in parentheses, I was like a puppet. But I knew myself in good hands, unlike my father, so I did not complain. "At 19, things get complicated, alarm signals are more and more frequent, major shortness of breath, exhaustion, drop in tension ..." I did not imagine these symptoms were the warning signs of an inevitable heart failure. At that time I was obsessed with my white bac and I refused to face the rest. Maybe it was just to protect my surroundings? "
Cardiac arrest at 19
On February 19, 2006, his condition worsens at a crazy speed. Her body becomes icy, she can barely move. When she arrives at her rendezvous in Paris, Aline is in a catastrophic state. "The doctors told me that the only alternative was the transplant. The same day I had a heart attack, my heart was exhausted. I was cold, I was in pain and I felt myself leaving, as if sucked into a huge black hole. I, who likes to control everything, there I could not do anything anymore. The doctors ordered me to keep my eyes open, I could not. I knew I was leaving, the voices were getting very far, then it was total darkness. Aline is saved in extremis and wakes up hooked on an artificial heart, the only way for her to live.
Grafted the same day
Her case is so serious and desperate that she is at the top of the list of organ recipients. And there, the improbable happens. A heart is available. She is operated very late at night with success. When she wakes up Aline is ready to remake the world. "My heart stopped and there I woke up alive. It was happiness, totally magical to hear, for the first time in my life, my heart beat at a steady pace. I did not suffer anymore. All to her immense joy, the young woman only thinks of returning to a normal life as soon as possible. But everything had gone so fast that she had not had time to become aware of the seriousness of such an intervention, of the re-education and rehabilitation that it entailed. "Like in my head, it was great, I wanted my body to follow, but it was not possible. It must be ensured that my body does not reject the heart brand new, do lots of exams, biopsies ... and take a lot of drugs that cause side effects, swelling of the face, increased hair, headaches ... Today I still have about twenty tablets to swallow every day, but it does not bother me. The weeks pass slowly through the rehabilitation center. Two and a half months after the transplant, she finally returns home to start her new life.
The gift, "die intelligently"
Without this organ donation Aline would no longer live. She also approaches the subject with a lot of lucidity. Although today everything is fine, she considers herself suspended. "I should never have lived. Since the transplant everything is only bonus for me. I do not feel guilty about living with the heart of a dead person. I tell myself that my donor died intelligently. In fact, it was the parents of the victim who made the decision that saved at least four lives. She now considers her donor as a member of her family who would have made a fabulous gesture of love by giving her back her life. Since then, Aline has been actively campaigning to raise public awareness about donations, she goes regularly to schools. Because in this area it is important for everyone to share their position with those around them."Death is part of life and talking about it does not mean you are going to die tomorrow. There are still too many people who die each year because they have not received a transplant. "
"My beating heart is not mine"
Aline Feuvrier-Boulanger
Oh Editions - 16.90?
//lagreffe.skyblog.com
//www.agencebiomedecine.fr/
His grandfather and then his father - aged 29 - died of a disease called "dilated myocardium or heart hoof". The heart grows on one side only and when the disease starts, it inevitably leads to death. Still little known at the death of his dad, this anomaly of the heart did not spare Aline. She showed up when she was 13 years old with shortness of breath and a slightly more developed heart. "I led the normal life of a teenager if only twice a year, I went to the hospital Pitié-Salpétrière in Paris, to make examinations. I did not like these three days of hospitalization, I put myself in parentheses, I was like a puppet. But I knew myself in good hands, unlike my father, so I did not complain. "At 19, things get complicated, alarm signals are more and more frequent, major shortness of breath, exhaustion, drop in tension ..." I did not imagine these symptoms were the warning signs of an inevitable heart failure. At that time I was obsessed with my white bac and I refused to face the rest. Maybe it was just to protect my surroundings? "
Cardiac arrest at 19
On February 19, 2006, his condition worsens at a crazy speed. Her body becomes icy, she can barely move. When she arrives at her rendezvous in Paris, Aline is in a catastrophic state. "The doctors told me that the only alternative was the transplant. The same day I had a heart attack, my heart was exhausted. I was cold, I was in pain and I felt myself leaving, as if sucked into a huge black hole. I, who likes to control everything, there I could not do anything anymore. The doctors ordered me to keep my eyes open, I could not. I knew I was leaving, the voices were getting very far, then it was total darkness. Aline is saved in extremis and wakes up hooked on an artificial heart, the only way for her to live.
Grafted the same day
Her case is so serious and desperate that she is at the top of the list of organ recipients. And there, the improbable happens. A heart is available. She is operated very late at night with success. When she wakes up Aline is ready to remake the world. "My heart stopped and there I woke up alive. It was happiness, totally magical to hear, for the first time in my life, my heart beat at a steady pace. I did not suffer anymore. All to her immense joy, the young woman only thinks of returning to a normal life as soon as possible. But everything had gone so fast that she had not had time to become aware of the seriousness of such an intervention, of the re-education and rehabilitation that it entailed. "Like in my head, it was great, I wanted my body to follow, but it was not possible. It must be ensured that my body does not reject the heart brand new, do lots of exams, biopsies ... and take a lot of drugs that cause side effects, swelling of the face, increased hair, headaches ... Today I still have about twenty tablets to swallow every day, but it does not bother me. The weeks pass slowly through the rehabilitation center. Two and a half months after the transplant, she finally returns home to start her new life.
The gift, "die intelligently"
Without this organ donation Aline would no longer live. She also approaches the subject with a lot of lucidity. Although today everything is fine, she considers herself suspended. "I should never have lived. Since the transplant everything is only bonus for me. I do not feel guilty about living with the heart of a dead person. I tell myself that my donor died intelligently. In fact, it was the parents of the victim who made the decision that saved at least four lives. She now considers her donor as a member of her family who would have made a fabulous gesture of love by giving her back her life. Since then, Aline has been actively campaigning to raise public awareness about donations, she goes regularly to schools. Because in this area it is important for everyone to share their position with those around them."Death is part of life and talking about it does not mean you are going to die tomorrow. There are still too many people who die each year because they have not received a transplant. "
"My beating heart is not mine"
Aline Feuvrier-Boulanger
Oh Editions - 16.90?
//lagreffe.skyblog.com
//www.agencebiomedecine.fr/
