Jane Bartlett
2009
Born in Katanning I grew up on my parent’s farm in Tambellup, 325 km south east of Perth, the eldest of four children. I attended the local primary school and boarded in Perth for high school.
I completed nursing at St John of God Hospital in 1986. Nursing has given me the opportunity to travel and work. I met my husband David in Melbourne and we began our married life in Mt Magnet, David working as a Geologist and I worked at the Nursing Post.
This story begins in 2000 a new century.
We were living in Southern Cross; pretty typical of a young family with David, my husband, employed in the Marvel Loch Gold Mine. Our children Tom and Maddy were at the local primary school; I worked part time at the local hospital.
In the December of 2000 David accepted a position at a Kalgoorlie gold mining operation called the Super Pit. A change we saw as very positive. The beginning of 2001 saw Tom (10 years of age) and Maddy (8 years old) settle into North Kalgoorlie Primary School. David commenced work and life continued happily. I taught swimming at the “Oasis” riding my bike to and from work each day. We were enjoying everything living in a larger community had to offer.
Unbeknown to us at the time in September of 2002 I suffered what I thought was a 24-hour virus. Whilst I recovered I really felt tired and sluggish. I kept working and was back nursing at the Kalgoorlie Regional Hospital (KRH). I slowly put on weight and found exercise difficult. The doctors were unsure what was happening... one diagnosis was irritable bowl. Eventually I went to the ‘out patients’ department at KRH and a chest x-ray revealed an enlarged heart... I developed an abnormal rhythm and was admitted into the special care unit in Kalgoorlie Hospital. The visiting cardiologist organised for me to be transferred to the Mount Hospital via the Royal Flying Doctors straight away (there were no beds available in the public system). By then I was to find out later that I was in advanced heart failure and as a result of a post viral dilated cardio-myopathy.
I remember looking out over the Perth hills from the window in my room and wondering if I would ever see my family again..... I was so far from home.
The cardiologists stabilised me and two and half weeks later I came home.
For the following eighteen months I had regular check ups in Perth and managed to start work again on a part-time basis. I could not walk for more than 1km and I tired easily. It was very challenging for someone who had been so active; to not be able to walk with the children to school.
I had a few blackouts and a defibrillator was implanted to try and manage the arrhythmias. Each time I came to Perth David stayed behind to care for our children. These were sad and scary times and we always seemed to be in the car or I was on a plane or in specialist’s rooms for tests etc.
In October 2003 I was referred to the Advanced Heart Failure Unit at Royal Perth Hospital transplant unit and was advised to stay in Perth. The team were brilliant; so caring and professional; I moved in with my parents until I was too ill and then became an inpatient at RPH. There was test after test, medication alterations, but the nurses were so lovely to us all. The waiting began... I went to the cardiac gym when I was well enough.
The kids and Dave stayed in Kalgoorlie at work and school coming down every second weekend to visit me.The following italics are excerpts from my daughter Maddy’s autobiography that she wrote in primary school...
November 26th, Tom and I caught the train down to Perth to see Mum. We stayed with our Auntie Ing (short for Ingrid). She picked us up from the Prospector and took us into Royal Perth Hospital and saw Mum. Mum cried as soon as she saw us, and soon Tom was crying. I had no idea why they were crying, but now I realised that Mum thought it was the last time she would see us…ever. I started crying too. We had to leave after a couple of hours and we went back to my grandparent’s house for dinner.She is dead… was the first thought that crossed my mind when Auntie Ing woke us up at 7 o’clock in the morning. I almost cried. But no! Mum was in the operating theatre then, with surgeons all around her performing heart surgery. We spent all that day doing things, having little luxuries, like going into the city and going shopping.
Amazingly at 2am that morning an organ became available..... It was a perfect match and I was transplanted on the 27th November 2003.The first thing I remember was being able to breathe... it was wonderful...David was there when I awoke he had driven down in the middle of the night. My parents and sister waited in the hospital....... the kids were fascinated with it all...thank goodness we had fallen into such good hands what a magnificent unit we have here in WA.
We stayed in Perth another 10 days and then mum and dad made us go back to school. When I got back it was as though I had been daydreaming for about a minute and then was back. None of the kids knew, and the ones who did know didn't know what a heart transplant was, so I was just back to normal schooling with Mrs Haythornwaite.
Over the summer I continued rehabilitation follow up tests visiting the cardiac gym three times a week. Ten weeks post transplant I was cycling in from Cottesloe... it was fantastic to exercise again!
2004 bought big changes least of all was moving, again. Now it was just Mum and me. Tom had gone to boarding school for Year 8, and Dad was still in Kalgoorlie, working at his old job, looking for a new one. Mum had to do lots of follow-up tests and gradually work herself into better shape and fitness (she was so sick and had been lying in bed for ages). I started at Cottesloe Primary and for the first time in my life did swimming lessons in the sea.
I loved my new heart from the moment I received it. Not a day goes by when I do not think of my donor family who made such a courageous and positive decision at such a tragic time in their loves. We write each year. I still take my pulse all the time - it is regular...and I love it! There is no doubt in my mind that transplant is a really positive thing.
Since transplant I and my second chance at life we have been busy. Our children are teenagers and we have been actively involved in busy family life. Tom is at university and Maddy is in Year 11. Each year I participate in the City to Surf 12 km walk. I returned to work within six months and have continued nursing in a variety of roles since then. We have built our dream home and recently David and I celebrated our fiftieth birthdays.
I had the unexpected opportunity to be a Board member of the Heart & Lung Transplant Foundation of WA Inc. in October 2008. Really it has come at a time when I am ready to give back and I am looking forward to all that the role holds.
I am currently training for the world games on the Gold coast in August 2009.
Life is good.
