Double lung transplant saved IPF sufferer Greg Kepper’s life

Greg Kepper has eight extra years of memories and many more to come thanks to a lifesaving set of donated lungs. He now makes it his mission to help others in the same situation.

The toxic smoke from a fire inside a train cabin almost took Greg Kepper’s life but a donated set of lungs gave it back.

Mr Kepper, 58, lives at Redland Bay with his wife Anne and was only able to see his daughter get married and meet his grandchildren due to receiving a set of new lungs.

Quest Community News is partnering with Donate Life to urge people to make registering as an organ donor one of their New Year’s resolutions.

It takes 60 seconds and can be doneright hereon your smartphone, tablet or computer.

In 2006 Mr Kepper was driving freight and passenger trains in North Queensland.

During one trip an electrical cabinet caught fire behind his head.

Greg Kepper is eight years post a double lung transplant. Photo: John Gass

“I remember the smoke was like a toxic olive colour, we were trying to put it out and do all the things I had to do – I would have ingested the smoke for 20 minutes,” Mr Kepper said.

It wasn’t until several years later doctors discovered the damage the smoke had done to Mr Kepper’s lungs.

He was diagnosed with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis or IPF – a disease that causes thickening and scarring of the lung tissue – making it difficult for Mr Kepper’s lungs to transfer oxygen into the blood stream.

His health declined over an eight-year period.

“The IPF slowly reduced the capacity of my lungs,” Mr Kepper said.

“It got to the situation where I was literally dying. I had about a month to live and needed a transplant.”

In September 2013 he was made a category one patient for a double lung transplant.

“I was on the list for eight hours and 22 minutes when he got the first call,” Mr Kepper said.

Despite being so close to death Mr Kepper said he had remained positive a set of lungs would be found.

“I’m a positive person and even though we waited eight years to get to that level it had been a shock to my wife, she burst into tears when we got the phone call, we couldn’t stop crying,” he said.

Greg Kepper with his wife Anne. Photo: John Gass

Two days later Mr Kepper got his new lungs.

It is a massive surgery which Mr Kepper never fully recovered from.

“The first year is the hardest part of your journey, once you get through that is gets easier,” he said.

“Post the surgery I was in and out of hospital 15 times in that year, maybe a few more.”

He has had more than 2000 blood tests, X-rays, scans and biopsies.

And while Mr Kepper might not be up to running a marathon and sometimes struggles to catch his breath he said the alternative was that he simply wouldn’t be here anymore.

He would have missed walking his daughter down the aisle, travelling around Europe with his wife, seeing his grandson turn into a bubbly eight-year-old and would have never met his now one-year-old granddaughter.

Since receiving his new lungs Mr Kepper has became an advocate for organ donation.

He recently mentored Ipswich man Don McCarthy, who also received a double lung transplant, earlier this year, due to IPF.

Mr Kepper’s had two pieces of advice for those on the waiting list.

“Stay positive, that is a big part of it,” he said.

Fast Facts

Queensland Donor Statistics

• 86 Queenslanders who died last year became organ donors, saving the lives of 253 Australians.
• Challenges associated with COVID-19 resulted in small declines in both the number of transplant recipients Qlders saved (-16%) and donors (-19%) in Queensland.
• Staff worked exhaustively to develop new ways of delivering compassionate end-of-life care, and to minimise the disruption to the organ transplant program.
• The proportion of Qld families who consented to organ donation last year remained steady at 62%.
• 419 Queenslanders donated their eyes and 102 donated tissue providing lifechanging procedures to recipients.
  
  

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Queensland Registration Statistics

• Almost 40,000 Queenslanders registered as potential organ donors in 2020. This was down from 48,900 in 2019.
  
  
• There are now 1.2M Queenslanders on the Australian Organ Donor Register (AODR).
  
  
• 7 in 10 Qlders support donation, but less than 1 in 3 are actually registered. We need to close this gap!
  
  
• 9 out of 10 families proceed with donation when their loved one is registered. This drops to 4 out of 10 when family don't know their loved ones wishes.
  
  
• Registration is easy and takes less than a minute at www.donatelife.gov.au with your Medicare Card number.

 

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National Donor Statistics

• 463 deceased organ donors saved the lives of 1270 Australians in 2020.
  
  
• Despite the disruption of COVID-safe restrictions and the six-week suspension of kidney transplantation, the overall decline in people receiving their organ transplants was 12%. The number of donors decreased by 16%.
  
  
• When asked to donate, around 58% of families said 'yes' to donation.
  
  
• The long-term trend for organ donation continues to be one of growth.

“And try to maintain your fitness, which is the hardest part when you are debilitated, but it is a very big journey that puts your body under a lot of stress and strain.”

Before his surgery Mr Kepper had never discussed organ donation with his wife, family or friends.

“Now my whole family and a lot of my friends have all signed up as organ donors,” he said.

“If it hadn’t have happened I would have surely died from where I was, there is no doubt about it. You can’t describe the feeling (towards the donor) it is beyond excitement and gratitude. It never feels enough to just say thank you to those who donate.”

It takes just 60 seconds to register as an organ donor.

To register visit: https://www.donatelife.gov.au/join-register