EDMONTON – An Edmonton man threw a 20th birthday party on Saturday, but it wasn’t for a person or even a pet. It was for his organs.
“I would’ve never thought 20 years later we would be doing this,” said Betty-Ann Sharp, Cary Bloedel’s mother.
Twenty years ago this week, Bloedel underwent a triple organ transplant – a heart and two lungs. He was 22 years old at the time and suffered from a rare condition called Tetralogy of Fallot, which is caused by a combination of heart defects. Present at birth, the defects affect the structure of the heart and cause oxygen-poor blood to flow to the rest of the body.
“He could never run and play hard,” said Sharp. “Any kind of great exertion he would have to stop and try to breathe.”
While she admits it was terrifying to see her son live like this, Sharp said Bloedel learned how to cope with the disease. After waiting three and a half years for a transplant, Bloedel was given a new lease on life on Oct. 22, 1995.
“He only had another week to live,” said Sharp. “I wouldn’t want any parent to be faced with that.”
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On Saturday, surrounded by family and friends, Bloedel celebrated his second chance at life.
“Without this I wouldn’t have met my wife or had my kids so it’s a pretty good life,” Bloedel said.
“He’s the only one that we know of in North America that has survived a triple transplant and then became a parent,” added Sharp.
Bloedel is living a healthy life and credits that to organ donation.
“You can have a life afterwards. You can be active. I chase my kids around constantly, we do Taekwondo, I go camping. I do everything that normal people do.”
He knows he wouldn’t be where he is today if it weren’t for organ donation and encourages people to notify their families of their wishes.
“Sign your organ donor cards, talk to your families. It’s worthwhile in the long run.”
Sharp can’t thank the family of the donor enough for the gift they gave her son.
“We don’t know who they are, but I’m hoping that they’re watching and know just how wonderful this has turned out.”
With files from Jessica Kent, Global News.
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