Napier motorbike enthusiast Maarty van Booma is thankful every day for his heart transplant. Photo / Paul Taylor
Napier motorbike enthusiast Maarty van Booma is thankful every day for his heart transplant. Photo / Paul Taylor
“Every single day, I wake up and I’m thankful I have got another day.”
Maarty van Booma had reached what doctors termed a “three-month window” when he received a heart transplant in the spring of 2020.
“I didn’t have three months to live,” he explained.
“If it was notfor some amazing, selfless, generous family out there, I definitely wouldn’t be here.”
Van Booma, 57, has shared his story and encouraged people to have a conversation with family about being a donor as part of Organ Donation NZ’s Thank You Day, held on Wednesday.
The Napier man battled rheumatic fever as a child and began having serious heart problems later in life, which led to his receiving three valve replacements and an ICD (similar to a pacemaker).
Van Booma continued to live life the best he could, despite having to give up motorbike riding, but his health was deteriorating by the late 2010s.
He went for a check-up at Greenlane Hospital, but it became clear there was a big problem when he passed out and fell straight on his face while walking through the hospital.
“I cracked my cheekbone, broke my nose and had a couple of black eyes - a couple of shiners.”
He was moved to Auckland Hospital, where checks showed he was in severe need of a heart transplant, and he was added to the “active list”.
One of van Booma's motorbikes, which sports 'Organ Donation NZ' and 'Have The Conversation Today' decals. Photo / Paul Taylor
About five months later, he was sitting at home in Taradale when he got a call informing him that a donor had been found.
A few hours later, he was being prepared to go into an operating theatre at Auckland Hospital.
One of his last memories before the procedure was texting a mate asking about a motorcycle he wanted to buy - as a new heart would mean a likely return to riding again.
“If you hear from me again that bike is mine,” he wrote in the text.
Van Booma will tell you every transplant recipient’s journey is different, and his recovery has gone remarkably well, with “no rejection” and “no issues” in the two years since the transplant.
“Every day I see things on the news about the healthcare system ... but I can’t fault any of it.
“I am thankful every day [that] I live in New Zealand and had the opportunity to have a transplant.”
He said he could not thank the medical professionals and the family who allowed him to have the transplant enough.
“How do you thank someone for literally giving you a second chance at life?”
Van Booma also thanked his wife Kaye, who had been his rock and a source of incredible support throughout his journey.
The jack of all trades - who works as a draftsman and hobby mechanic and also helps Kaye at their store BeauKayes Florist - said he was riding his motorbikes again, which now feature branding decals that read “Organ Donation NZ” and “Have The Conversation Today”.
Family members can override your decision if you simply include ‘donor’ on your licence, and van Booma said it was important to have that conversation.
In 2021, 191 Kiwis received organ transplants from 66 selfless strangers.
