Tasmanian organ donation: Ben Setchell to donate kidney to son Owen
The love between father and son is an unbreakable bond. And the bond between former star footballer Ben Setchell and son Owen will soon become more special, after Ben donates a kidney to Owen. DETAILS >
Tasmania
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The close bond former star footballer Ben Setchell and his son Owen share will become even more special when Ben donates a kidney to him.
Owen, 16, has lived with chronic kidney disease since he was born and next week will have a kidney transplant at the Monash Medical Centre in Melbourne.
His last major surgery was in Melbourne when he was just seven years old.
While he uses a catheter several times a day Owen isn’t one to complain.
“I’m pretty lucky,” the Rosny College student said.
“I have to fly over to Melbourne sometimes and it affects my schoolwork but I catch up pretty quickly.”
Owen was a champion junior athlete and says he’s a better kick at football than his dad.
Neither are too anxious about their respective surgery.
“I’m not nervous yet but on the day when I go in, I’ll be very nervous,” Owen said.
He will be in hospital for about a week and will recover in Melbourne for up to eight weeks.
Ben said the family had always known a transplant was inevitable.
He said Owen’s bladder problems had been detected on a scan when his wife Anna, a nurse, was 20 weeks pregnant.
“It’s never been a shock to us. We were just lucky that both Anna and I were compatible donors.”
Ben says Anna will stay with Owen in Melbourne as he recovers but he hopes to back home within two weeks.
“Owen’s taught Anna and I a lot of things, just with his resilience.
“He’s just taken everything on board.
“The doctors in our team from Monash and Hobart have just been amazed by him, especially when he kept on with his catheterisations and that kept him out of hospital for a long time.”
Ben, a construction project manager who played for Clarence and North Adelaide, is hopeful of a quick recovery.
“The surgeon has said I will be very sore because they cut your stomach muscles.
“They said it’s like a caesarean so I’ve spoken to a couple of ladies that have had them and they were pretty sore.”
A gofundme page has been set up by family friends to assist the Setchells.
To register as an organ donor go to: donatelife.gov.au
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