A Sad Day...

Today I had 2 hospital appointments, one at the Royal Hospital in Liverpool for a bone density scan and another at Warrington Hospital a couple of hours later. Whilst waiting for my scan I picked up the local hospital magazine and had a browse.

Midway through the mag I started to read of a fund raising walk in memory of well known surgeon Mr Ali Bakran, what!! Mr Bakran, this can't be the same Mr Bakran who operated on me and my Mother when I had my kidney transplant!?! Reading further the article mentioned ward 9a - the transplant ward, the same ward I spent months on back in 2005, it must be the same Mr Bakran, I was shocked! I sat there in disbelief and read the article over and over looking for a clue, a hint that this was a different Mr Bakran.

I'm called for my scan and ask the nurse if this Mr Bakran from the mag is the same Mr Bakran from the transplant team, it is and I'm gutted... Later when I'm home I did a google search and sadly yes it is the same Mr Bakran who although died in August last year, it was news to me...

Let me tell you about Mr Bakran, he was a warm man who would do his utmost for you, when I used to see him in the run up to my transplant he would take me into his office and insist that no-one come in and no phone calls and woe betide the nurse who forgot. Once in his office he would take his time and explain everything, there was never a rush and you never got the feeling that there were more patients waiting to see him (unlike some doctors). On June 14th 2005, Mr Bakran and his team performed a live kidney transplant from my Mother to myself. I didn't see him that day although he got to see lots of the inside of me, it was a 12 hour day of surgery for him but every week day thereafter and even some weekends I would see him as he visited his patients.

After I had my transplant and in my bed on 9a, he was the god of the ward rounds, every doctor, registrar, house doctor, co-ordinator, nurse and even some senior to him regarding him with utmost respect as they walked in his wake. At times he was forceful with his team and direct but with his patients including me he was all smiles and would often break away from the team and sit down and talk to you like he was your best friend. I was in that ward on 6 separate occasions with 2 transplant rejections and other complications over the 4 months post operation and when I needed his skills the most he would come in, even after hours to make sure I was OK and that I had received the correct dosage of whatever drug they were pumping into my veins during those months. After I was finally free from the hospital I saw him regularly on my frequent every other day/every week/bi-monthly/3 month follow ups and although in time I didn't need his expert care any more, when I bumped into him on occasion in the corridors he would always stop, ask me how I was and then listen to what I had to say.

There was one occasion when I wasn't happy to hear from him, it was whilst I was home having escaped the hospital for a time, my Mother had an appointment and in the corridors she bumped into Mr Bakran, he asked about our welfare, my Mother told him I had a cold, half an hour later I got a phone call from Karen, a senior nurse on 9a and she told me that Mr Bakran had cleared a bed for me and that I needed to get in asap. I wasn't a happy camper I can tell you and I sulked and moaned until he let me out two weeks later. I did forgive my Mother...

So you can see why I'm so upset at reading of the loss of this kind warm man who would do as much as he could for his patients. A kidney patient has this problem for life and you get to know all the doctors and nurses because you see them year after year and they know you, it's like being in a family with Mr Bakran as the head of this extended family...

Mr Bakran, the man who gave me a second chance at life...

I also had some good news today but this can wait for another day....