'Blood brothers' get a second chance

Wiremu Keepa and Trevor Kenny didn't know each other last Christmas but a life-changing event in May created a unique bond both will cherish for the rest of their lives.

The Rotorua pair underwent surgery within hours of each other at Auckland's Green Lane Hospital and received separate organs from the one donor.

Mr Keepa received the heart and Mr Kenny was given a lung.

A third man, from Taupo, received the donor's left lung.

However, he died within days of the surgery.

The transplants have united the two men who consider themselves "brothers".

"Everyone up at Green Lane was calling us triplets after the surgery," said Mr Keepa, whose heart was swollen as a result of cardiomyopathy - a disease which weakens the heart muscles. The heart enlarges and loses the ability to pump efficiently.

The disease was picked up when his GP noticed an irregular rhythm during a routine health check five years ago.

He was given medication and placed on the waiting list for a heart.

The months spent waiting were shared by Mr Kenny, who was approved as a lung recipient after suffering from emphysema.

The condition, which affected his right lung, was a side-effect of having spent 25 years as a stone mason working in dusty environments.

The pair met in hospital as they recovered from their operations.

Seven months on, they are both active and enjoying a second chance at life.

Mr Keepa visits a gym to take part in special aerobics classes for people with heart conditions and twice a week he walks to town.

Mr Kenny cycles and walks and participates in weekly exercise sessions with Asthma Society members at Redwood Lodge.

The pair, who take medication to stop their bodies rejecting the organs, keep in regular contact to discuss each other's progress.

They agree the transplants have given them a new appreciation for life.

Mr Keepa said everyone should make a New Year's resolution to look after their health.

"Give up smoking, join a gym or sports club and drink less alcohol. If there's something you want to do in life, do it now before it's too late."

Mr Kenny said Christmas would be "extra special" for his family.

Both men have set goals they want to achieve next year.

Mr Kenny plans to visit the South Island for the first time with his wife and Mr Keepa wants to start a masters in management degree through Massey University.

He is also looking forward to completing the more mundane activities, like mowing lawns, he struggled with before his operation.

- NZPA