Matt’s second chance

By Lia Bichel
MATTHEW Spencer knows first-hand the importance of organ donation.
Without it, he may have never been the father he is today or be a multi-medal winning athlete.
The manager of the Endeavour Hills Leisure Centre, 34, was 18 when he was first showed signs of kidney failure.
It started with a sore throat, then a fever.
He went to the hospital where doctors ran tests and diagnosed him with IGA Nephropathy- a chronic kidney disease that may slowly worsen over 10 to 20 years.
He didn’t know anything about the disease, as his family did not have any history of it. He now knows most people show signs of the disease at age 18, and most of them are male.
“The chance of me getting worse was about 10 per cent,” he said.
“I felt fine. I didn’t feel like I was sick.”
But his condition slowly worsened, and when he was 24, he gained 11 kilos of fluid.
“I felt really heavy. I knew at that point I was heading towards dialysis,” Mr Spencer said.
“I was actually looking forward to it, because the doctors told me the dialysis would make me feel better.”
Mr Spencer spent four hours a day, three times a week, receiving dialysis at the hospital. After a few weeks, he was able to administer dialysis himself.
While his social life changed, Mr Spencer continued to live a normal life. He studied, trained, played football, cycled for fun, and worked as a personal trainer.
“I was always the designated driver,” he laughed.
“But I always remained positive. I considered myself lucky that I didn’t have any other organ failure. I still had a pretty good life. The hardest part was not being able to drink anything. I was constantly thirsty because I was only allowed to drink 500 ml of liquid a day.”
Doctors told Mr Spencer he was on the waiting list for a kidney, and would probably receive a transplant in about three years.
He finally received the highly-anticipated call after eight years.
“It was 3am on 24th of September, 2007,” he said.
“I was pretty nervous because it was a major operation. I just hoped it would work.”
After two weeks recovering from the surgery, Mr Spencer was allowed to go home. After one day at home, he got a nose bleed and was rushed back to hospital, where he remained for another 10 days.
Once released, he said he needed to go for a bicycle ride because he “just wanted to ride.” It took him 55 minutes to finish a 10-kilometre ride, which normally took him about 16 minutes to complete.
Three years later, Mr Spencer says he feels great.
In 2009, he entered the Transplant World Games and won several awards.
He also received a number of medals at the Australia Transplant Games in Canberra last month. He won a gold medal in ball throw and two gold medals in cycling, including a five-km event which he finished in 7.36 minutes.
He also placed in shotput, 10-pin bowling, long jump, volleyball, and mountain biking.
Now he has his eyes set on the World Games in Sweden next year.
Besides training, Mr Spencer loves spending his time at work, with his wife Michelle and his four-month-old son Magni.
“A transplant has given me a new life,” he said.
“When I looked at everyone at the transplant games I just thought about how important organ donation is. And it’s important for people who want to donate to speak to their family about it, because in the end, the next of kin get to make the final decision.”
Mr Spencer said there was a chance that his kidneys could fail after 10 years, and he would have to be placed back on the waiting list – but he is keeping a positive outlook for the future.
Anyone wanting to learn more about organ donation can visit www.donatelife.gov.au