Whangārei man gives heartfelt thanks for organ donation that saved his life

Nolan and Trudy Keith, plus dog Trev, are so thankful to the whānau who allowed him to have a heart transplant. Photo / Denise Piper

Northlander Nolan Keith knows that for him to receive his lifesaving heart transplant, another whānau had to lose a loved one.

But he is so grateful for the organ donation, he decided to share how the transplant saved his life for Organ Donation NZ’s annual Thank You Day today.

“It’s important for families to know how much difference it does make. We will always be indebted for it, and I will do my best to always look after it.”

The Waipū resident, now aged 55, was born with a heart murmur and hole in his heart, but it wasn’t diagnosed until he was 3.

Keith was 5 when he had open-heart surgery by pioneering Kiwi heart surgeon Sir Brian Barratt-Boyes, but he was warned he would need further surgery later in life.

He stayed fit and healthy by fishing and hunting, while also getting married to wife Trudy and having two sons, who are now adults.

It wasn’t until Keith turned 40 that he started having more problems with his heart, including periods of racing heartbeats.

“They started with medications but they told me at the time that it was irreparable and that I would need a transplant at some stage.”

As well as heart medications, Keith was fitted with a implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) - a device which could shock his heart into a normal rhythm.

The regimen worked for just over a decade, until he started noticing the ICD would have to deliver more and more shocks for his heart to return to a normal rhythm.

During one holiday in Rarotonga, Keith received two shocks and realised he needed to get medical help fast. He made it as far as a taxi outside Auckland Airport before he collapsed, receiving 23 shocks from his ICD.

Nolan Keith says he tries to look after the heart he was donated as best he can, living a healthy lifestyle including growing vegetables. Photo / Denise Piper

Soon after this, Keith was told by specialists he was in need of a heart transplant and was put on the waiting list.

He had to wait six months for the donation, but said he never lost hope that it would come.

During the wait, Keith tried to remain fit and continue working as a teacher aide, but many days it was a struggle.

“Some days I felt quite good and we would go for a walk at the beach. Other days just walking to the mailbox I was stopped and puffed.”

In 2021, when the call finally came to say a suitable donation was available, Keith was almost unable to speak.

“The whole time I knew that some other family would go through the most terrible time for you to get better. It was shock, disbelief and that sorrow that someone else was going through this.”

Keith and his wife rushed down to Auckland’s Greenlane Hospital that night and he had the transplant surgery the following day without complications.

Ten days after the transplant, Keith was transferred to rehabilitation facility Hearty Towers and he was back home a month after the surgery.

While Keith has to take immunosuppressants to make sure his body does not reject the new heart, he is on less pills than before.

Because these weaken his immune system, he needs to be careful about picking up any infections. He avoids crowds and stopped working so he could focus on a more relaxed lifestyle.

Keith is now back into his hunting and fishing, as well as running a large garden full of subtropicals and the likes of tomatoes, courgettes and peas.

“It’s great - I can go and do all the things that I used to do with my sons.”

When Keith was told he needed a heart transplant, doctors estimated he would only live two years without it. It has now been three years since his operation and he hopes to live for another 30 more.

“I’ve got to see and do many things due to my donor’s family’s kindness,” said Keith, who has written to the family anonymously through Organ Donation NZ.

Trudy too is very grateful for the selfless and kind donation from the donor’s family.

“It’s a priceless gift. We can’t put into words how much we appreciate the donor family and what they’ve done for us.”

Both stress the need for people to discuss their desire to donate organs with their whānau, before it is too late.

While a person can make an indication on their driver’s licence, it is up to the family to sign-off any organ or tissue donation at the time. Donations are only possible in less than 1% of all deaths, when a person is on a ventilator in an intensive care unit, usually with severe brain damage.

Last year, with the support of their whānau, 64 people donated organs following their death, leading to more than 200 people receiving lifesaving kidney, liver, lung, heart or pancreas transplants. Go to donor.co.nz for more information.

Denise Piper is a news reporter for the Northern Advocate, focusing on health and business. She has more than 20 years in journalism and is passionate about covering stories that make a difference.