Sunday Star Times

Cash would've helped my donor
14 December 2003 
By RACHEL GRUNWELL

The siblings who took part in New Zealand's first live liver transplant operation agree live donors should be compensated.

But they say money would never have influenced Jason Snowden to donate a slice of his liver to save his sister's life.

"My brother's gift was out of love," says Rose Snowden.

But she wishes Jason had been given money for his bravery and financial hardship.

Jason and Rose are only now going public a year after they made national headlines anonymously in the country's first live liver transplant. Now they want to tell their story to encourage others to donate.

In July 2001, Rose discovered by chance she had hepatitis B. She had been asked by her doctor to take part in a survey. Further tests revealed she had liver cancer.

Rose was scheduled for an operation to remove the cancer in March last year but the night before surgery blood tests revealed her liver had deteriorated too much to operate. So she became number seven on the liver transplant list.

"I was given an expiry date of Christmas," says Rose.

"But then the doctors asked if I was interested in a live donor."

She then met with her family to ask if anyone would become a donor if they were compatible.

Rose, 50, grew up in a family of 12. Only two siblings were compatible.

"When I first found out I had cancer Jason immediately said `I will give you one of mine' - he didn't realise he only had one liver," laughs Rose. Jason, 31, says Rose had always been like a mother to him so he wanted to do anything he could to help.

Hundreds of medical and psychiatric assessments followed to see if both were able to undergo the operation.

Doctors repeatedly told Jason he could opt out at any time - they routinely give scared donors a medical reason for the exit - but Jason never faltered in his decision, even though his partner Helen Popata feared for his life.

"If you had a sister who was dying and would be dead by Christmas and you knew you could do something about it, then you wouldn't let her die," says Jason.

The operation had never been performed before, which caused anxiety for the siblings. Living donor transplants are internationally controversial because the death rate of healthy donors is about 1%. The siblings passed the tests and the operation took place on August 14 last year at Auckland Hospital. The simultaneous surgery, taking six hours for the donor and nine for the recipient, was a success.

The $140,000 operation left the siblings with matching giant wish-bone-looking scars which cover their chests. Jason was in hospital for eight days and Rose for 24 days.

Within six weeks of the operation, both of their livers had grown back.

Rose's old liver has since been buried on family land where she grew up.

It took six months for Rose to feel "normal" because of problems with asthma, diabetes and obesity but eight months later she returned to work.

Jason now feels "90% normal" but is not yet strong enough to go back to chain-sawing in the bush.

He has found his lack of strength and a "tightening in the stomach" a little frustrating because he was very fit beforehand, but he says "there's no regrets".