DonateLife Week: What it is like to wait for an organ transplant

Every day is precious for Andrew Conway, who is being kept alive only by a small pump. And he knows the phone call that will change his life will be “bittersweet”.

Every time Andrew Conway gets a call from a private number, he gets a “bit jumpy”.

It could be the phone call that quite literally saves his life.

For 18 months, Mr Conway, 55, has been kept alive by a special device that helps his heart pump blood to the rest of his body. He will need it to survive until he can get a heart transplant.

The left ventricular assist device (LVAD) was implanted after he suffered a massive cardiac arrest in his sleep in February last year.

His wife, Leanne, was alerted to his plight when his implanted defibrillator activated, causing his body to jerk.

She and daughter Renee gave him CPR until paramedics arrived.

“I had a parma and a Guinness for tea, went to bed and woke up in hospital,” Mr Conway, of Wantirna in Victoria, said.

Andrew Conway, 55, with wife Leanne, 59, daughters Renee, 24, Dani, 26, and son Nick, 22, is awaiting a heart transplant after a series of cardiac arrests. Picture: Mark Stewart

It was Mr Conway’s third cardiac arrest since he was diagnosed with cardiomyopathy, a disease of the heart muscle, in 1996.

A transplant would give him a new lease on life — but he knows it will be “bittersweet”.

“Someone’s got to have a bad day and I’ll have a good day,” he said.

Last year, 148 Australians received heart transplants and there are now 75 people on the waiting list.

Mr Conway, who has also registered as an organ donor, keeps as healthy as possible with regular cardio gym sessions and leans on a strong support network while he awaits a transplant.

“You have to put it in the back of your mind and live your life,” Mr Conway said.

DonateLife is aiming to add an extra 100,000 Australians to the organ donor registry by the end of August.

Mr Conway said many of his family and friends had signed up since talking to him about his wait for an organ.

He urged people to have a conversation with their loved ones about their organ donation wishes.

It only takes one minute to register as an organ and tissue donor. To check whether you are on the register, visit donatelife.gov.au/check. If not, get your Medicare card and sign up at donatelife.gov.au/register