Taylor was 17 years old, finishing school, interning in real estate, working part-time, and feeling healthy. But in May 2023, his life came crashing down. Out of the blue, Taylor became too sick to drink, eat, walk or move. When mum Michelle found him lying on the bathroom floor of their Hamilton home, he was rushed to Waikato Hospital with suspected pneumonia.
Taylor (right) and his mum, Michelle.
As Taylor’s health deteriorated and ultrasounds revealed genetic heart issues, after two months (following a recommendation by Auckland City Hospital’s Cardiovascular team), he was flown urgently to Auckland and into the care of Cardiologist Dr Tom Pasley and the Cardiovascular team. The next day he was put into a coma on ECMO, the miracle life-support machine that takes over the job of the heart and lungs, which in New Zealand is only available at Auckland City Hospital.
Little did his mum know at the time, Taylor wouldn’t return home to Hamilton until February 2024, following a heart transplant in January. From July through to the day of his heart transplant, Taylor spent many weeks on ECMO, he had mechanical hearts inserted on both the left and right sides of his heart (BIVADs) to keep him alive, he went through numerous surgeries to clear infections in his BIVAD leads, and was hospital bound with ventricular fibrillation for weeks on end – missing his Year 13 at school. Without the mechanical hearts and care he received at Auckland City Hospital, Taylor would not have survived, as his heart was incapable of beating on its own.
Auckland City Hospital Cardiologist, Dr Tom Pasley and Tom.
In late November 2023, Taylor was moved from the transplant list to the urgent transplant list. At Auckland City Hospital, approximately four people each year are placed on the urgent list (meaning they are not expected to live longer than 24-48 hours), which puts them at the top of transplant lists across New Zealand and Australia. However, due to the travel time, donor hearts from Australia can only reach New Zealand safely by using HOPE Box technology.
Donor hearts have been stored in the HOPE Box for up to 14 hours; it significantly extends the safe time for a heart to be outside a body, as the heart (in its arrested/still state) receives oxygen and other life-preserving essentials to maintain its quality, compared to the traditional transport method used worldwide – a chilly bin and ice. Therefore, any transplant expected to take longer than four hours (in travel time and/or complicated surgeries, e.g. VAD/BIVAD removals, older patients, and congenital heart issues) has a much longer ‘safe time’ with HOPE Box, which is crucial for a country as isolated as New Zealand.
Fortunately, Taylor was able to hang on for another four weeks, through Christmas, while on the urgent heart transplant list. Then, on New Year’s Day 2024, Taylor and his mum got the life-changing news that a heart in Australia had become available. The transplant team at Auckland City Hospital sprang into action, with members taking an immediate flight across the Tasman, while Taylor’s surgical team led by Cardiothoracic Surgeon David Haydock and Cardiothoracic Surgeon Dr Christine Goh prepared to give Taylor his new heart.
Taylor’s mum Michelle described his heart transplant as “the best New Year’s present ever”. With his new heart stored safely in the HOPE Box for its trans-Tasman flight, and longer still while his mechanical hearts were removed, Taylor had no issues or complications in his post-transplant recovery. He was back home in Hamilton the following month, ready to celebrate his 18th birthday with family and friends.
Having recently turned 19, Taylor is working and says he “feels great – 10 out of 10”, and he is more appreciative of life than ever. Taylor is especially grateful to Auckland City Hospital’s Cardiovascular team, who he says have done more than just save his life; they have become lifelong friends.
Source: 1News.
Watch Taylor's incredible journey on 1News.
Learn more about Cardiovascular Care at Auckland City Hospital and how you can support this world-class team here.
To read an interview with Cardiothoracic Surgeon and Surgical Director, Dr. Amul Sibal, about heart transplants and the HOPE Box technology, click here.
