Scott Murray- Heart Recipient

Scott

On 14 October 1987 I, Scott Aaron Murray, was brought into the big wide world to two loving parents. At first it was thought that I was a healthy, 8lb 12 ounce blue eyed baby. However, shortly before I went home, it was discovered that I had a rather loud heart murmur. Things started to go quite quickly after this, as within six weeks I was referred to and making my first visit to Greenlane hospital. It was determined that I had transposition of the great arteries, hyper plastic right ventricle, large VSD and complete heart block. In the simplest terms my heart was not a very healthy heart.
At nine months old I had a pulmonary banding to slow the flow of blood to my lungs in an effort to protect my lung from any damage. Throughout the next three and a half years life was a battle, as I was constantly short of breath, needing to be carried around everywhere, and lacking a healthy pink skin colour. Sadly, at four years old I lost my Dad to a brain haemorrhage. Shortly after this my first of three pacemakers was implanted. This was to keep the electrical part of my heart rate normal.
Over the next twelve years I played the game of life as best as I could, with regular visits to doctors in both Wellington and Auckland, which was tough on not only me, but all my family, including my two siblings. On my good days I could go to school for a full day and see my friends, but on my bad days I had to have time out of school or even be home schooled. I could walk, but not very far. I could run, but not for more than a few minutes.
In 1998 the beginning of some major problems started occurring. I began having random turns which later turned out to be miniature strokes due to blood clots. One of which was found in a main artery in my leg. This is also the same year that I had my Fontan surgery, which was to allow my heart to better pump blood around my body. Unfortunately, this did not go as planned and as a result I got quite sick and was under heavy sedation for much of the time to let my body recover. Therefore, I can only remember bits and pieces.  I was completely unaware, till much later that I came within hours of death itself. The whole surgery left my body very weak and I was isolated from friends and family for several months.
I met the transplant team in 2002; I learnt that my only chance of survival and to have better quality of life was to be put forward for a heart transplant. It seems odd to me that the worse memories are the ones that stick with you. Because of how things turned out in 1998 I developed a fear of almost anything hospital related. It came as a massive shock when I found out that I needed a heart transplant. All I could think of was everything that could go wrong and the limited choices I had. To say I was scared was an understatement. I was so scared that I decided not to go on the waiting list for a transplant for a whole year. During this time I had a friend who was around the same age as me and also needed a heart transplant. Sadly, before she got the chance to have this opportunity, she passed away at only 15 years old. This would be for me one of the deciding factors to go on the waiting list. A doctor of mine explained that if I did not go on the waiting list for a transplant, I may deteriorate significantly over a relatively short time span. The risks to not undergo a transplant would far outweigh the risks to go ahead with a transplant. I realised that the best option was to go ahead and be placed on the waiting list for a heart transplant.    
By the time I was 16, life was somewhat balanced, I was attending college full time and doing most things a sixteen year old would be doing such as getting my licence, going through my second year of exams and of course, partying. On the other hand, I was on more medication than I had ever been on before and I still found it hard to keep up with friends. One day in July I finished maths and headed out to the car, where mum was waiting to give me a ride home. I sensed something was different and this was confirmed when I got home and mum told me that the call had been recieved – a suitable heart had been found. Within the next several hours I was up in Auckland, prepped for surgery and awaiting my destiny. Thoughts kept running through my head such as ‘when will this all be over’; ’how long before I can start a new life’ and ‘will I start a new life?’ At 2.00am I was wheeled away to the operating room.
A wave of relief washed over me when I woke up late the next day. It felt like a great weight had lifted off me. Within 24 hours I was sitting up in an armchair. A week was spent in intensive care and another week was spent in the ward. After two weeks in hospital I was transferred to Hearty Towers at Greenlane Medical Centre, where I spent two months recovering in order to build my strength back up. Every day I could feel myself growing stronger, both physically and mentally. This is not without saying I had my off days where I felt low on energy and was unable to do my daily gym routine. The normal time frame to stay at Hearty Towers is three months, so you can imagine how happy I was when my cardiologist said that I could go home early because I was progressing so well.
Coming home marked the start of a new life- one of the biggest achievements when I was back at school was running my first ever cross country. I finished my last year at school and moved on to tertiary education, where I studied travel.  In 2007 I started my travel career as a corporate travel agent, where I am currently employed full time. The immunosuppressive drugs I’m on mean that I have to be extremely careful when I am around people who have any bugs that could endanger me, but I don’t let that hinder me. I can now walk to the shops, to friend’s houses and back again, all without getting breathless or exhausted. I have been able to take up ballroom dancing, travelled and plan to embark on even bigger adventures throughout the world. I have more colour and energy. Every day I have more and more energy, sometimes I have so much energy that my friends find it hard to keep up with me!!!
I continually think about the gift of life that I have been given and no amount of works will ever describe how grateful I am to the person and their family for this amazing gift. The truth is, is that without this new heart, I don’t think I would have been here to celebrate 21 years. I have been given a second chance at life and these days I live every detail of my life to the extreme, to the fullest and never pass up an opportunity to try a new experience. Since having a transplant I have gained a new appreciation for life and I treasure every moment.