AOPA Pilot Magazine - October 2011 - 34

FLYWELL

BY DR. JONATHAN M. SACKIER

Stealing fire

his column usually addresses ways for you to help yourself. Today, while the same is true, contemporaneously it provides a way for you

Meet Chris McLaughlin, a British Airways 747400 pilot. Born in Toronto, Chris learned to fly in Britain, France, and Oakland, California. He ended up driving BAC-One-Elevens, DC–10s, and as captain for five years in the 747. He has flown, he says, “numerous and myriad aircraft, but having 45 minutes in the left seat of the Concorde was fun—she had a nice roll rate, although I might have spilled some champagne in the cabin!” Chris met his wife, Corrine, a purser with British Airways, on to benefit your fellow man. The story goes that a layover in Bermuda in 1991. They married, and Prometheus, keen to help mortals, stole fire from by 2005 she had her private ticket. Dr. Jonathan M. Zeus, which rather irritated the big guy. The punA clean-living fellow, Chris was involved in a Sackier is a ishment meted out was for our man to be bound motorcycle crash at 17 years old, requiring transfusurgeon and to a rock where a vulture would devour his liver. sion, and this was possibly the source of his future private pilot living Those Greek deities were smart; they knew that troubles. in Virginia. the liver could regenerate, so poor old Prometheus “Two years ago I vomited some blood and they was condemned to have that gourmand raptor ascertained I had hepatitis C. They started the repeat his daily repast. Forever. drug regime and while grounded I took time off to travel with In the culinary world the liver is an impressive organ, my wife,” he says. However, Valentine’s Day 2010 brought source of paté, nice with fried onions, and detested by chil- an affair of the heart of the undesirable kind—Chris’s heart dren everywhere. From a physician’s perspective it is a large nearly stopped. He was admitted to a hospital and ended up brown structure lurking under the right and part of the left rib- at Kings College Hospital in London, where he underwent a cage, processing our food and medicines, and abused by us in transplant. Recovery was slow from this major procedure, many ways—the most obvious being alcohol. Although many including having to learn to walk again and falls causing fracinsults are forgiven as the liver recovers and new cells appear, tured ribs and femur with marked osteoporosis (bone loss). some mistreatments are more subtle than vultures continu- However, by June 2011, with some guidance from AOPA’s ously eating the liver in a way that prevents recovery. Many Gary Crump, the FAA had granted Chris a special issuance diseases create this scenario, none so stealthy as hepatitis and a third-class medical. C. The “hepa” part means liver and “itis” signifies inflamNow determined to raise awareness about organ donation, mation, so hepatitis implies liver swelling, here caused by a hepatitis C, and liver transplantation, Chris and Corrine will sneaky virus conveyed in several ways: from mother to fetus; pilot their Cessna Skyhawk XP from Cape Cod, Massachusetts, via blood donation; sexually; sharing a toothbrush or razor to Cape Horn, Argentina, in December 2011. Let’s help them with an infected individual; obtaining nonsterile tattoos; or and ourselves in the process. from illicit intravenous drug use, although many patients Hepatitis C is a slow, subtle, and very nasty beast and if the have no obvious source. math works out, roughly 7,000 AOPA members unknowingly About 15 in 1,000 Americans carry the virus; when first carry this virus. If you think you or a loved one may be at risk, infected about 10 percent develop jaundice—pale stool, talk to your doctor, and get tested now. If it’s positive, evaluate dark urine, and a yellow tinge to the skin. Infection then treatment options. You carry carbon monoxide detectors—I becomes chronic, often without symptoms. If present, hope—in your cockpit and that risk is probably much lower the virus needs to be eradicated with regular injections of than 1.5 percent. drugs called pegylated interferon and an oral medication, Next, obtain an organ donor card and ask everyone you ribavirin. Untreated, inflammation progresses to cirrhosis, know to do the same. Every year thousands of people with chronic liver scarring, and shrinkage with potentially deadly kidney, heart, lung, and liver problems die because of donated consequences. organ shortages—18 a day in the United States alone. If every Regardless of the method of infection, when liver destruc- AOPA member signed on and used their voice as smart, risktion has gone too far the only option is to transplant a new averse individuals, great societal good would be done. For organ. Primarily, livers for transplantation come from individ- information on becoming an organ donor, visit the website uals who have thought about this topic and carry a donor card (www.organdonor.gov). allowing their organs to be used after death. Alternatively, livFinally, follow Chris and Corrine’s flight and support their ing donors allow surgeons to remove a segment of their liver to efforts (www.flight4lives.com). Prometheus’ theft fed the then be implanted into their loved one—a selfless act indeed. vultures. Let’s help put an end to his suffering. 34 • OCTOBER
2011

AOPA PILOT •

http://www.organdonor.gov http://www.flight4lives.com

AOPA Pilot Magazine - October 2011

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of AOPA Pilot Magazine - October 2011