Photo and design Pamela Lindgren 2014 ©  
This week RECYCLE ME had the pleasure to meet Håkan Gäbel, former Transplant surgeon with a great deal of experience and knowledge! He told many fascinating stories, like the one about a donated kidney from a dead donor in Belgium that was flown to Sweden. This kidney has now been functioning well for 29 years in the receiver! In this picture Håkan is helping us promote Kidney Awareness holding a YOU&ME glass kidney.

Fun facts; Håkan is also the father of twin doctors Markus and Jakob who last week helped us promoting RECYCLE ME! Håkan Hedman, President of the Swedish Kidney Association, was the receiver of the kidney from Belgium and Håkan Gäbel was the Transplant surgeon!

Håkan Gäbel about himself;
“I received my medical education at the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Gothenburg. After training as a specialist in surgery in Örebro among other places, I returned to Gothenburg in 1975 and was then offered a temporary position at the Transplantation Unit. I became so fascinated by this work that I have remained faithful to it since then. I took my M.D. degree in 1983 and gained my assistant professorship after presenting my thesis on pancreas transplantation in pigs. I worked at the transplantation units in Gothenburg, Malmö and Stockholm up until 1997. I have practical experience of most of the many questions arising due to transplantation activities. I have also worked internationally, first and foremost with donation issues as well as quality and security aspects of donation and transplantation. I was recruited way back in 1995 to the National Board of Health and Welfare, to work part-time. As from 1997, I worked full-time at providing information and introducing new regulations on the donation of organs and tissues. Even though I am now retired, I keep myself up to date on developments in the field of transplantation.”

More information here; http://socialmedicinsktidskrift.se/index.php/smt
and here http://socialmedicinsktidskrift.se/index.php/smt/issue/view/62

If you like you can support the Swedish Kidney Association by buying a glass kidney. You can find it here: http://www.njurforbundetwebshop.com/

Photo and design Pamela Lindgren 2014 © 
Twin brothers Jakob and Markus Gäbel both work as surgeons and save lives. We are so thankful for their important work. Thank you Jakob and Markus for participating in the RECYCLE ME project to spread organ donation awareness.

Remember that we all can make a difference by sharing our thoughts and wishes about organ donation. It concerns us all; every YES for organ donation is a chance to save lives!

“For some people life changes dramatically and they get limited because of severe illness or disease. The disease might bind them to a lifetime of dialysis-dependency or simply end their life far too early. Transplantation may be the only remaining treatment option.”

“Transplantation Centre at Sahlgrenska University Hospital performs organ transplantations of all types; heart, lung, liver, kidney, pancreas and intestine. Both children and adults are treated. Most receive organs from deceased donors, but in some cases, transplantation with living donors is performed. Most patients are back at work or studies one year after the organ transplant. Survival results in international comparison (www.ishlt.org) is very good with an expected survival of 85% at 1 year, 75% at 5 years and 60% after 10 years.”

Text translated by Recycle Me from; http://www.sahlgrenska.se/sv/SU/Omraden/5/Verksamheter/Transplantationscentrum/Organdonation/