Donor gave new life to Wodonga ‘twins’

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Donor gave new life to Wodonga ‘twins’
19 Feb, 2011 01:00 AM
TWO kidneys from one organ donor could have gone anywhere in Australia.
Instead, they went to two Wodonga residents who live less than 500 metres apart.

Dianne Slater and Colin Broster received the life-changing call that a viable donor had finally become available on Melbourne Cup Day in 2009, less than five minutes apart.

The pair didn’t know each other before they were each offered a new lease on life and only realised the remarkable coincidence a week after their transplants at the Royal Melbourne Hospital.

“It was just amazing, we were so close and we didn’t know each other and now he’s got the same person’s kidney as me,” Ms Slater said.

“It’s actually better than winning Tattslotto — our numbers came up on the same day.

“You can do without money, but you can’t do without life.”

Ms Slater endured a gruelling four years of dialysis at Wodonga hospital and Mr Broster nine months at home after both suffered kidney failure as a result of hereditary polycystic kidney disease.

They therefore never crossed paths during their treatment but now regard themselves as “twins”, and have been best friends ever since their chance meeting.

“At that stage we didn’t know there was two kidneys from the one donor but they started talking about my twin after the operation and later on I found out that my twin was from Wodonga,” Mr Broster said.

The pair later met after checking in to the same motel in Melbourne, where they spent a month recovering after their operation.

“They try and get a perfect match for the kidney, your tissue, your blood type and everything needs to match,” Mr Broster said.

“So really those kidneys could have gone anywhere in Australia but we happened to be neighbours, it was amazing.

“We’ve got a great bond and it’s a new lease on life, instead of being tied up to a machine every second day, our lives are back to normal.

“We’d never really crossed paths but now she checks up on me and I check up on her, we really are like twins.”

But there are still countless others waiting for the chance of a transplant and the pair are now urging Border residents to register as organ donors during DonateLife Week, which begins tomorrow.

“There’s a big waiting list of people waiting for an organ,” Mr Broster said.

http://www.bordermail.com.au/news/local/news/general/donor-gave-new-life-to-wodonga-twins/2081130.aspx