There are moments that deeply etch themselves into the memory of those involved, and the day Taryn Trepp’s life was saved in a Perth hospital theatre was one of them.
The now 31-year-old was born with pulmonary hypertension, which causes breathlessness and can lead to heart failure.
The genetic condition took the life of her mum and grandmother, and at 17 Ms Trepp’s fate seemed to be following the same path.
She desperately needed two new lungs and a heart, but like many people requiring lifesaving surgeries, she could have been waiting for six to 12 months.
Taryn Trepp was just hours away from death as a 17-year-old. (Supplied)
It was time Ms Trepp didn’t have.
“You’re constantly thinking about that buzzer going off, getting that call that you’re going to have a transplant,” Ms Trepp told ABC Radio Perth.
While on life support in the intensive care unit, she faced a situation that unless three new organs could be found, she would not leave alive.
Then, a donor arrived.
“Taryn was so sick she didn’t get a call or a page,” her transplant physician told ABC Radio Perth.
“It came literally with hours to spare.”
Fourteen years have passed but Dr Musk remembers the triple transplant like it was yesterday, and credited surgeon Dr Robert Larbalestier for a “phenomenal” operation.
“What I remember from Taryn’s point of view, is [she’s] one of the bravest people I’ve ever met,” he said.
“All that trauma really didn’t faze her which was phenomenal.”
‘I can breathe’
Transplanting a pair of lungs and a heart can take about nine hours in theatre — one standard working day, which gifted Ms Trepp the rest of her life.
“I remember saying to my dad, ‘I can breathe’,” Ms Trepp said.
“It was honestly the happiest moment of my life.
“Me, my dad and my brother all just broke down crying.
“They were just so happy.”
A lot has happened since the day Ms Trepp’s life was saved.
In “excellent” health, she became a nurse and got married.
Taryn Trepp on her wedding day with her husband (left) and Dr Michael Musk (centre). (Supplied)
One of the people lucky enough to watch her walk down the aisle was Dr Musk.
“Since that day, Taryn has really just taken the world on,” Dr Musk said.
Need for donors
About a dozen people get an organ transplant each year, on average, in WA at Fiona Stanley Hospital (FSH).
Lung and heart transplants have saved lives across the state for decades.
The average wait time is still about six months.
Taryn Trepp’s transplant physician wants to see as many people registered as organ donors as possible. (Supplied)
“Wait list management really revolves around organ transplant numbers and that’s why it’s so vital that as many of us are organ donors, so we can get patients onto the wait list and transplanted,” Dr Musk said.
He said while some areas in the transplant space have remained the same since Ms Trepp’s surgery, other aspects are improving.
“Immunological matching and immunological risk assessments are advancing quickly and I suspect we’ll see … improvements in the years to come,” Dr Musk said.
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