A lifeline was handed not once but twice to 43-year-old Dimitri Tsekinis when he was the recipient of two organs – a kidney from a family member and a liver from someone who was a registered organ donor.
Dimitri will share his story at a workshop run by The Greek Welfare Centre in Adelaide, South Australia for the Greek community and will also speak at the launch of DonateLife Week 2024.
While four out of five Australians support organ donation, only 36 per cent are registered to be a donor on the Australian Organ Donor Register. A spokesperson for DonateLife said most religions, such as the Greek Orthodox faith, support organ and tissue donation as ‘an act of compassion and generosity.’
The Organ and Tissue Authority’s (OTA) Community Awareness Grants program supports organisations nationally to raise awareness about organ and tissue donation. This year, 11 organisations have become DonateLife Community partners receiving grants to run workshops.
The Greek Welfare Centre in Adelaide received nearly $14,000 to raise awareness of organ and tissue donations at a workshop to be held on Tuesday, July 30 at the Prophet Elias Hall in Norwood.
Guest speaker Dimitri, who received a kidney transplant from his mother Sophia in 2010 and a liver transplant in 2016 from an unknown donor, will share his story on the day.
The part-time sales manager, husband to Stephanie and father to Eleana, Christian, Sophia, Natalia and Emilia, wants to share his story in the hope people will understand what it means to be a recipient and to raise awareness about becoming a donor. Dimitri believes organ donation should be compulsory because it will assist people in need to live a fuller life.
There are currently around 1,800 Australians on the organ waitlist and 14,000 on dialysis for kidney failure.
The long road to recovery begins
Dimitri’s health journey started when he was born on April 15, 1981 as the second child to Fotios and Sophia.
Dimitri was born with a rare condition called Auto Recessive Polycystic Kidney Disease (ARPKD) – one in every 900,000 children is born with this disease. He spent the first two years of his life in hospital.
“Being born with polycystic kidney disease, my mum, parents and sister never made me feel like I was “sick” or there was something wrong. When I look back on it all, this was a really positive way for me to just be a kid and enjoy life and my childhood,” Dimitri said.
Serious health problems developed before his 21st birthday. A large lump appeared on his throat, resulting in the first of eight surgeries to remove cancer in his lymph nodes followed by an operation to remove his gall bladder.
“I never researched anything to do with my condition or what the side effects were. I basically told myself I will deal with it as it comes. I am not one to go online or Google symptoms. If anything happens, I will deal with it then and there,” Dimitri said.
Dialysis, remaining cancer free and a kidney transplant
In 2008, Dimitri, then aged 28, went on dialysis for around 18 months because a kidney transplant was needed.
However, he had to remain cancer free during his kidney dialysis journey. Dimitri remained positive watching his favourite comedy shows – Acropolis Now and Everybody Loves Raymond.
“I never really knew there was a big issue until I needed a transplant back when I was 28,” he said.
“I figured the more things I watched that made me smile, the quicker time would go.
“I also told myself that if I could beat cancer than this would be a walk in the park and I took it as time to rest and recuperate.”
During this time, the whole family was tested for kidney compatibility and his mother’s kidney was found to be a match – it was, he said, a relief.
“I was relieved my mum was my match,’’ he said.
“In my mind she had given me life and so it was like she was doing it all again and there are no words to ever express the love and gratitude I have for her to be willing to give up an organ to keep me alive.
“I just wanted to be off dialysis and enjoy all the things life has to offer and for me it was going out with my friends, playing soccer and spending time with my family and friends.”
Keeping the faith and positivity for the future
After the transplant, Dimitri went through ‘a painful and frustrating’ time that required a great deal of strength to recover. He found support through his Christian faith.
“I keep my religion and my prayers very close,” Dimitri said.
“When times were tough, when it all seemed too much for me, I prayed to Panayia and God to get me better, along with praying to my pappous and my yiayia.”
A happy ending at last
Today Dimitri loves playing with his five children, waking up and seeing them smile and enjoying a life that would not be possible without the kidney and liver transplants.
“It has created a legacy and now so many generations will thrive due to my mum giving me her kidney and the selfless act of a stranger who donated his / her liver to save my life,” he said.
Dimitri will be speaking at ‘Change a life! Organ Donation Awareness’ workshop on Tuesday, July 30 (12.30pm and 2pm) at Prophet Elias Hall, Norwood. The event is open to everyone in the Greek community and is run by the Greek Welfare Centre of South Australia.
Dimitri will also present at a DonateLife Week launch event on July 28 at 10am-1pm at the Adelaide Riverbank Lawns.
