Transplant Chats With Eliza

In this special episode we celebrate all things Organ Donation.

Eliza is joined by a new co-host, Hannah Sharma, a heart transplant recipient and friend of the show (episode 8).

It is Organ Donation Week and to us, that means another excuse to spread awareness about this cause which is very close to our hearts (pun intended). We discuss Hollywood’s depiction of organ donation, how donors are matched to patients in need, donor families and the importance of talking to your own family about your future wishes.

Listen out at the end for a montage of thoughts from some of our transplant community, our families and friends. Credit to Dave Webb (episode 11) for the lovely piece of music.

We would love to hear what you thought of the episode and what organ donation means to you so leave a review or find us on Instagram - @transplantchatswitheliza @travels_tea_transplants – We can’t wait to hear from you.

Writing a letter to your donor family - https://www.odt.nhs.uk/information-for-patients/donor-family-and-recipient-contact/

Nominate a Representative - https://www.organdonation.nhs.uk/register-your-decision/nominate-a-representative/

Imagine you have been given a new heart and you’re recovering well..

And then in the space of 6 months you catch pneumonia in both lungs and then find out your Covid 19 positive.

This is exactly what Happened to Dave .

Dave Webb will be sharing his transplant journey with us, as well as chatting about catching Covid 19 and how he overcame it.

Find Dave’s Blog at: www.countingthebeats.blog/home

In Episode 10 we chat to John Hoffman from Connecticut who was born with Biliary Artresia, a genetic Liver condition. At just months old John had a life saving transplant.

Fast forward to his teens and his Liver was failing again meaning John was in store for another Liver!

Learn about how John managed with life as a young transplantee all the way to now as normal and happy family man.

John is currently writing a memoir of transplant journey. You can follow his journey on instagram @johnstransplantjourney and view his website here.

In episode 9 of ‘Transplant Chats With Eliza’ we will chatting to the lovely Tamsyn Allen from Cornwall, Uk.

I would say out of all of the people I have had on the podcast so far, Tamsyn has by far had the most surprising transplant.

The idea of Going to A and E to then waking up with a new liver weeks later actually blows my mind.

Find out how she coped with this time in her life and how she’s made the most of her 6 extra years she has been given.

In the eighth episode of 'Transplant Chats With Eliza', we will hear from Heart Transplant recipient Hannah Sharma.

You’re in your 20s and your life seems completely normal. Then all of a sudden multiple health issues appear and you’re diagnosed with end of stage heart failure. All in the space in 4 months.

This is exactly what happened last year to Hannah Sharma from Brighton.

Find out how Hannah dealt with this body blow, and how she has over come her heart transplant.

We chat about unofficial Therapy Dogs; strange GP’s; going from health to chronical illness and being your own advocate.

In the Seventh episode of 'Transplant Chats With Eliza', we will hear from Brandon Mouw.

Imagine needing a transplant but living in a country with no NHS and where your Health Insurance won’t pay out.

It seem impossible but Brandon from California made it happen.

In the Sixth episode of 'Transplant Chats With Eliza', we will hear Rachel from episode 5. Rachel and I be chat about how she explained to her young daughter why her Daddy was ill, why he was living in hospital and what a heart transplant was.

In the fifth episode of ’Transplant Chats with Eliza’, we are chatting to Will and Rachel who have gone through a very special transplant journey. From Will’s first cardiac arrest in his early 20s and 15 more arrests till being wheeled off for his heart transplant in his 30s, Rachel was there for him every step of the way. Now, 6 months post transplant we will be talking about coping as a family unit over the years and how they had to adapt as a young couple to this unique situation.

In the fourth episode of 'Transplant Chats With Eliza', we will hear about what it's like to be Pre and Post Transplant. We will be chatting to Today Simon Gach who had a double lung transplant in 2016.

At the age of seven Simon was diagnosed with XLA, a rare genetic condition. This meant he couldn’t make antibody cells. As a consequence this led to years of severe lung infections and a lung capacity of just 20%.

Now, four years post transplant we will be chatting to Simon about his story in his own words as well as learning the realities of post transplant life. - How to cope with waiting on the list as a lung transplant patient.

In the third episode of 'Transplant Chats With Eliza', we will hear about positive mindsets Pre Heart transplant and what early recovery can feel like. We’ll be hearing from Gill Wilkinson From Yorkshire. What I like about Gill is that, as much as she could, she was still living her life to the full right up to her ultimate transplant call. And even so after her transplant she was taking small steps to get to her goal of being fit and healthy again. I’m can’t wait for you to listen to this episode. We will find out what her top advice is on staying motivated, surviving the waiting list as well as embracing her recovery and seeing it as a challenge. - How to be positive and mindful whilst waiting on the Transplant List at Home.