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AN Irymple lawn bowler has put a torrid few years behind him by taking gold at the Australian Transplant Games, an event which also put his experience into a wider context.

Greg Brown became sick in late 2019 and immediately knew it was polycystic kidney disease, a hereditary condition that saw his mother require dialysis and which claimed the life of his grandfather.

Faced with the situation, wife Lou – a nurse at Mildura Cardiology – put up her hand to donate a kidney.

Expecting her kidney to go onto the donor exchange – the Australian and New Zealand Paired Kidney Exchange program – doctors instead found hers was a sufficient match, and arrangements were made to remove one of Greg’s kidneys in 2021 and replace it with one from Lou’s.

However the COVID-19 pandemic intervened and doctors at Royal Adelaide Hospital, and elsewhere, postponed transplant procedures as long as they could due to the risk to immunosuppressed patients.

Other hurdles emerged, concerns about whether a skin cancer removal Lou had undergone was a risk was eventually deemed safe due it not having been a severe-end type.

As Greg’s kidney capacity wavered between 11 and 13 per cent he continued to work – a mine manager who has worked at Gingko and Snapper, Mindarie and Arumpo Bentonite, and before that at BHP in New Zealand.

“I don’t know how he did it. He just kept putting one foot in front of the other. It was automatic pilot for both of us,” Lou said.

As the kidney capacity slumped to seven per cent, and just one week off from being put on dialysis, the renal transplant team gave the green light for an April 2023 transplant surgery.

Lou went in first, at 8.30am, with the successful removal of a healthy kidney and then Greg went in at noon.

“I was raring to go, I’d had enough, they tested my blood pressure and it never went up,” he said.

Nine hours later he woke up with an assortment of lines connected to his body and nurses conducting an assortment of tests at 15-minute intervals.

But by the next morning the test were out to one-hour intervals, and he finally fell asleep.

“That’s when I woke up and I said ‘geez, I feel good’, and that was about 12 hours since I had been warded,” he said.

“I thought I haven’t felt this good in a long time, as long as I could remember.”

Lou, having had major abdominal surgery, was finally given the all-clear to visit her husband and was similarly impressed.

“I was amazed at how he looked,” she said.

The next few days were trying though, as doctors encouraged the two patients to get up and about, but they pushed through and were able to relocate back to their friends’ home in Adelaide, although they would have to endure daily 7am visits to Royal Adelaide for several weeks.

Fast-forward to October last year, and both recipient and donor had signed up for the transplant games in Canberra, and joined 500 other transplant recipients, living donors, families of cadaver donors and patient supporters at a grand opening ceremony amid the city’s annual Floriade flower and entertainment festival.

“There I learned I got off pretty lightly compared to a lot of people,” Greg said.

“There were kids as young as four. People with multiple organ transplants.

“I was talking to a guy about his kidney, saying my remaining one was 2.3kg and his was like a football, 8kg when a normal one is 400g.”

But it was speaking to the families of cadaver donors that was the most emotional, and inspiring.

“There was a trophy presented for the Spirit of the Games by a lady whose husband was cadaver donor. I don’t think there was a dry eye in the place,” Lou said.

“Over 90 per cent of transplants are from cadaver donors,” Greg added.

While Greg missed out on a medal in the pairs bowling, the former Waikato district, New Zealand, champion of champions took gold in the a competitive singles event while Lou, who was also born in NZ, scored two silvers in the rowing and a gold and bronze in petanque.

But the pair were not really concerned about winning, but celebrating lives post-transplant, and after the games sharing some important messages about transplants.

“If you are a registered organ donor (in the event of death), tell your families,” Greg said.

Lou said don’t be fearful of becoming a living donor.

“It’s obvious to be scared but don’t be scared, it’s amazing. It’s amazing the whole process. The people you put your life’s hands into, they know what they are doing. They do it like we clean our floors. It’s a very routine thing for them to do, but they don’t treat you like that, they treat you like your special.”

The couple have their eye on the next transplant games in Australian in 2026 and may attend the games in Canada this year, and a trip to NZ is planned while Greg will be back to Royal Adelaide every three months but envisions time for “a little bit of bowling”.

Story and photo courtesy of Sunraysia Daily 4.1.25

Mildura Cardioloyg welcomes their newest member to the team -Dr Ozge Guzelburc Cardiologist.
Dr Guzelburc was born in Turkey and undertook medical training at the Cerrahpasa Medical Faculty at Istanbul University before completing her cardiology course at the Siyaniersek Hospital Tertiary Cardio-Vascular Centre in Istanbul.
“In Turkey Cardiology it is a five-and-a-half-year course and a separate discipline to internal medicine.
“I went directly into cardiology training, but it also included training in branches of general medicine.”
Following the completion of her training, Dr Guzelburc worked at the Siyaniersek Hospital as a cardiology consultant.
“I also had a short stint of work experience at the Koc University Hospital’s Cardiology Department in Istanbul.”
So, what brought Dr Guzelburc and her family to Australia, and more specifically Mildura?
“We had been considering a move for a long time. I was in contact with Mildura Cardiology as far back as 2017 to explore possible opportunities to work with them,” she recalls.“The plan was that I was going to come to Mildura in 2019 but, for a variety family reasons, and then the pandemic, the move to Australia was delayed.
“I think Mildura is a beautiful city. Coming from Istanbul, I have really fallen in love with the quiet here, the calmness and the clean air.
“I also like the nice weather and love the heat!
“It is a well-organised, beautiful city and a good place to raise a child.”
Dr Guzelburc’s husband is a urologist, and the couple have an 11-year-old son. They too are now living in Mildura.
Dr Guzelburc says she is enjoying being part of the team at Mildura Cardiology.
“It’s a busy practice, and the staff are very friendly and helpful.

Courtesy of MBPH 2024 Heartbeat Magazine Summer Edition

ALAN Soward was standing beside his 95-year-old mother’s bed in 2019, saying his final goodbyes, when his wife Bev asked for a moment alone with her.

When Dr Soward left the room, a smile spread across his mother’s face as Bev told her that her son had been nominated for a Member of the Order of Australia award for his decades of work as a cardiologist.

She passed away a few weeks later. Now that process will finally come to fruition when Dr Soward receives the award in the 2024 Australia Day honours list.

Dr Soward graduated Monash University in 1976 the same year he was married going on to train at the Queen Victoria Medical Centre before moving to the Alfred Hospital for two years to complete his cardiology training.

He worked for several years in the Netherlands and after moving back to Australia, took up locum work in Mildura, enjoying it so much he never left.

“I worked here as a cardiologist and set up private practice next to the Mildura private hospital and the practice started off with myself as a doctor and Bev, as everything else,” Dr Soward said.

“The result now is the Mildura Cardiology. They employ 20 people, have numerous doctors who come and go and have trained specialists.”

“There have been some big changes over the years since it was just Bev and I.”

Throughout his storied career, Dr Soward said he always found helping clients the most rewarding part of his day.

“I have loved helping people, it was such an honour to have people tell me about their problems so I could try and work out what was wrong and what could be done to help them,” he said.

“That gave me a lot of satisfaction and I still like running into people I’ve cared for over the years at the supermarket or walking up Deakin Avenue, It’s very nice.

“I also got great enjoyment from employing people, adding to their lives and giving them a job in a happy and fulfilling workplace.”

Dr Soward also played a significant role in ensuring Mildura had access to life saving defibrillators.

“Some years ago, when automatic defibrillators were becoming widely known about, Mildura Cardiology donated defibrillators to sporting and social clubs,” he said.

“All in all, we gave about 50 defibrillators.

“One of them was used soon after when a gentleman who was training at one of the ovals had a cardiac arrest and the trainer who was there went and got the defibrillator from the club rooms.

“He pulled a hamstring whilst running over to get it, but he brought the defibrillator back and it was used to save the fellow’s life.

“He then had the underlying cardiac problem corrected and he’s lived 20 years since in good health.”

Dr Soward said he was proud to have been able to provide people with decades of care and honoured to receive an OAM.

“It makes it so much better for regional people to have access to services like cardiology which they would expect to have if they lived in a capital city,” he said.

“To have it in a big regional centre like Mildura is very good for people.

“I’m sure it gives people a feeling of reassurance that if they do require treatment, they don’t have to go off to a strange city and are able to have it done locally.

“I felt very humbled when I found out about my nomination and I thought, I just did my job, but obviously others thought that there was some recognition due.”

Courtesty of Sunraysia Daily Edition 25.1.24

IT hasn’t been an easy journey but Mildura’s newest cardiologist has finally arrived.
Dr Sachin Sondhi arrived from India on December 8 bringing with him a wealth of knowledge and enthusiasm.

Mildura Cardiology was beyond happy to have Dr Sondhi arrive after struggling to “attract a full-time cardiologist who was prepared to move to Mildura and make it their home”.

“The main reason I chose Mildura is because of the immediate need for a cardiologist,” Dr Sondhi said.
“They had Melbourne cardiologists flying in and out of Mildura every fortnight and Mildura Cardiology had been searching for a full time cardiologist for the past two and a half years.”

The search for a new full time cardiologist came after Dr Alan Soward retired at the end of 2020 after 32 years of serving the community.

As the new permanent cardiologist residing in Mildura, Dr Sondhi aims to provide continuity of care for the community and support for GPs and both hospitals.

It was during his training that the 33-year-old discovered his desire to become a cardiologist.
“During my internal medicine training I came across many cardiac patients and, as we all know, cardiac diseases are the most common cause of morbidity and mortality,” he said.

“A lot of young people are suffering from cardiac diseases right now and I got a chance to see these patients and I got a chance to treat them, so that is the main reason.”

While working as a cardiologist, Dr Sondhi has also been required to work with many COVID positive patients over the past two years.

“For every family in India, there is not a single family that there was no COVID,” he said.

“Every single family would have had one member that has had COVID, for me, it was my wife who had COVID, she was working in the COVID ICU and got infected, but she is fully vaccinated so had just a mild fever.”

The private hospital that Dr Sondhi worked at in India saw all staff assist with COVID patients.
“Everyone had to give duties in the COIVD ward, even specialist doctors, including myself,” he said.

“It’s a very bad situation there, I worked in a private hospital and in peak times all 100 beds of the hospital had COVID patients.
“I have seen many young patients, including three patients who had complications because of COVID; one had a heart attack, one patient has fluid around the heart and another has weakening of the heart muscles.

“COVID also affects your hearts, not just the lungs.”

Dr Sondhi said the best defence against COVID was to be fully vaccinated.

“Those patients that I have seen that are infected and fully vaccinated had a mild disease but those who aren’t vaccinated or who are old and are diabetic or on dialysis, the mortality is more in these patients,” he said.

“In young patients who are fully vaccinated, you can catch the infection but it’s very mild.”

Next year is expected to be a very exciting year for the young doctor who will not only be settling into Mildura, but also welcoming his first child in February with his wife, who is expected to make Mildura her home once the baby arrives.

Dr Naomi Whyler is our current Cardiology Registrar.Originally from Wales she took the long route to Mildura via Scotland and New Zealand.
Her interests include exploring the river by kayak and paddle board, baking, drinking coffee and trying to learn the rules of Aussie football (we haven’t seen much baking).

Naomi is having a ‘wonderful time’ in Cardiology as part of her training in General Medicine, she is intending to specialise in General Medicine & Infectious Diseases.

Naomi is a bit of a prankster and enjoys confusing the staff at Mildura Cardiology by labeling various items in Welsh, then watching them try to pronounce it!

Naomi said ‘after a year and a half in Mildura, the thing I’ll remember most when husband and I move to Melbourne for the next stage of training will be the friendliness and generosity of everyone here – we have felt welcomed from the start and privileged to be a part of this community’.

The following article was printed in the Sunraysia Daily 17.4.18

 

Trainer saves collapsed footballers life:

 

A DEFIBRILLATOR and the quick thinking of a senior trainer were credited with saving the life of a country footballer on Saturday.

Kerang’s Patrick Featonby is in a stable condition after suffering a heart attack during a Central Murray league reserves clash against Balranald.

He collapsed during the first quarter and was able to be revived with the defibrillator before the ambulance arrived. He was then transported by road to Mildura and then flown to The Alfred hospital.

“We were very thankful both to ours and their senior trainer – without their quick action and the defibrillator, which was key to his survival – we would be having a different conversation this morning.” Kerang president Rob Fisher said yesterday. “They worked on him for about 15 minutes and were able to revive him with the defibrillator before the ambulance arrived.”

Defibrillators have been provided at most country football grounds, including throughout Sunraysia.

The footballer would see a cardiologist today but was in ‘good spirits”, Fisher said.

The reserves match was abandoned and, after discussions between the two coaches, the senior game was also abandoned on Saturday.