Vyron Mete saved his father’s life but it almost cost him his own.
Seven months after the 32-year-old donated his left kidney to his father, Vyron was diagnosed with a rare genetic disorder that doctors believe was triggered by the transplant.
The real estate agent, mental health activist and rugby player is sharing his story to raise awareness about blood plasma donations.
“One hundred and fifty people, they saved my life.”
Vyron is the youngest of six children. His father, Evan Mete, has Type 1 diabetes and had spent 10 hours every second day for six-and-a-half years hooked up to a dialysis machine that did the job his kidneys could not.
Evan never asked his children to give him a kidney, but Vyron said he saw it as an opportunity to give his father a “second chance” at a life without dialysis.
A living donor evaluation process confirmed he was a medical match to donate his left kidney. They underwent the procedures in February last year and it has been a great success for Evan, who no longer has to have dialysis.
But seven months after the operations, while still in the recovery stage, Vyron lost his energy and could not get out of bed.
He started having severe lower back pain on his right side.
“I’ve only got my right kidney. I knew that something was wrong with my kidney.”
He was rushed to hospital where tests found platelets in his blood were attacking themselves and his remaining kidney function.
“I was so scared. I didn’t know what was going on,” he told the Bay of Plenty Times Weekend.
Vyron stayed at Tauranga Hospital overnight “hooked up to machines” before being helicoptered to Waikato Hospital, where he spent the next 13 days.
Vyron was diagnosed with Atypical Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome, a genetic disease that causes blood clots in the small blood vessels and primarily affects kidney function. It is rare; Te Whatu Ora Health NZ could not say how many Kiwis had been diagnosed with it.
He said doctors believed he always had the condition and the organ transplant surgery triggered it to affect his health.
“I was on plasma transfusions for nine days,” he said.
Plasma is the liquid portion of the blood and contains vital proteins as well as mineral salts, sugars, fats, hormones and vitamins. It carries the red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets in the blood throughout the body.
In total, Vyron received 150 plasma transfusion units — 15-20 over four to six hours a day. He was monitored for eight days after leaving the hospital, before being able to go home.
He said the people who donated the plasma saved his life.
“I know that I’ve been given a second chance.”
Vryon said he had often donated blood with his rugby teams over the years but had never donated plasma before.
He wanted people to know the differences between donating plasma and blood.
For example, plasma can be donated more often, starting at two-week intervals, and donors may feel less fatigued than when giving blood, as the process returns their red blood cells to their body. They may also feel cold during the donation due to an anti-clotting agent.
As a young Māori man, Vyron said he wanted to “inspire young males” to consider donating plasma and “be open and vulnerable” about their health.
He said sickness could happen to “any of your whānau and friends and it could happen at any time of their lives” and donating was important — and donors could also feel good knowing they were saving lives.
Evan said his youngest son was a “driven person” who would help anybody.
“When he puts his mind to something. He’ll keep going until it’s done.
Evan said it was important for him not to ask his children to donate a kidney preferring to let it be their offer.
He said Vyron’s diagnosis after his generous act “devastated” the family.
“We thought what’s going on? At the time he’d been running through the bush and jumping in the lakes like he always does. We thought maybe he got bitten by something.”
He said donating plasma was “life-giving” and without it his son “wouldn’t be here” today.
“It’s so important, to save someone’s life. People always donate blood and then they sort of forget about [plasma].”
“I keep saying to people the best thing about me is my 30-year-old kidney. Everything else might be falling apart. But the kidney is so strong every time I go to the doctor.”
Evan said the donation and Vyron’s diagnosis had brought the family closer together.
“It’s been an incredible journey.”
Scott Pearce from the New Zealand Blood Service said plasma was often referred to as “liquid gold” and could be used to make up to 11 lifesaving treatments.
“[Plasma] carries blood cells, water, proteins and clotting factors around your body and makes up just over half of our blood.”
Plasma donors needed to meet eligibility criteria and ”have good veins”.
He said giving plasma was an automated process called apheresis which involves drawing blood and separating the red blood cells and platelets from the plasma.
“The red blood cells and platelets are returned to the donor’s body, while the plasma is collected in a sterile, single-use bag for processing.”
He said the donation process, called apheresis, separated out the plasma and returned the red blood cells and platelets to the body, meaning two to three times more plasma could be collected compared to a blood donation.
Up to 880ml of plasma could be collected in a single donation, depending on a donor’s height and weight.
“These treatments are used to help cancer patients, trauma and burns victims, pregnant women and those with auto-immune diseases, blood-clotting issues and compromised immune systems.”
Pearce said plasma recipients should be compatible with the blood group of a recipient.
AB blood group was the universal plasma type and could be given to patients of any blood type in an emergency.
He said the service issued more than 179,000 plasma components and plasma-derived treatments to patients in the year to June 30, and demand was growing by 10 per cent a year.
After a year of recovery, last month Vyron ran the Mount Maunganui Half Marathon to raise awareness for the New Zealand Blood Service.
While his illness was in remission, he may need further plasma transfusions if it flares up again.
He said the outlook was positive and his health journey had motivated him to continue his studies and he was now a qualified real estate agent with “a new lease on life”
Michaela Pointon is an NZME reporter based in the Bay of Plenty and was formerly a feature writer.
He faces two charges of wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm.