2019 LIVERight Gala Honourees

Grand Chief Stewart Philip

Rapid weight loss, extreme fatigue and severe swelling due to fluid buildup in the abdomen and legs were just some of the symptoms that Grand Chief Stewart Phillip experienced. It was not until after numerous clinic and hospital visits, blood tests, ultrasound and CT scans that he was finally presented with what he thought was the ‘death sentence’ – liver cancer. He had not only one, but three tumors on his liver, and each was about the size of a golf ball. The only option he had was a liver transplant.

Grand Chief Phillip faced dark prospects, knowing very well that there were far more people who needed a liver transplant than there were liver donors, and that many patients died while waiting for a matching liver.

A late-night phone call from the hospital brought a glimmer of hope when the Grand Chief was informed that there was a matching liver available for him. He couldn’t believe it when he was told: “A Med Jet will be on its way to pick you up”

When the Med Jet arrived at Penticton to pick up Grand Chief Phillip, his family members gathered around, gave him hugs and sent him best wishes. His mother locked her arms around his neck and would not let go. “Is this the last time I’d see my mother and my family?” He looked around before he boarded the Med Jet with few other patients. Anxiety filled the atmosphere as the ride was silent without a single word to be said.

He laid down on the surgical bed thinking those might be the last moments of his life. Yet……

“What one man can do is dream», «What one man can do is love», «What one man can do is change the world and make it young again” , “I still have so many things I need to do in life”, “ I want to grow old with my wife; my kids are just teenagers, I want to have grandchildren….”

Thanks to the advancement in medical research and treatment, his transplant was a success.

22 years post transplant, Grand Chief Phillip, President of the Union of BC Indian Chiefs of 21 years, and a long-standing member of the Penticton Indian Band for over 24 years, of which he was also an elected Chief and Councillor, continues to play an active leadership role in the aboriginal communities, defending the rights of Indigenous Peoples.  He is enjoying his 30^th year of sobriety, living his second chance at life to the fullest with his wife of 33 years, Joan, his three sons, two daughters and fifteen grand children.

Grand Chief Phillip’s story inspires other patients who are going through the same journey of pain, fear, and hope. He is a true testament to how love, courage, perseverance and gratitude, along with advanced medical treatments overcome the challenges that liver disease brings.

Dr. Thomas Randall, Dr. Terry Waters and Dr. Jacqueline Trudeau

Drs. Thomas Randall (retired), Terry Waters and Jacqueline Trudeau are anesthesiologists with a special interest in liver transplantation.  They assess the patients prior to the procedure with a view to optimizing them for this major operation.  They then manage the patients through the intraoperative period which involves sophisticated monitoring, care of vital organ systems, and transfusion support that can last anywhere from 6-10 hours.

After obtaining a medical degree together at UBC, Dr. Thomas Randall and Dr. Terry Waters went to New Zealand and Australia for a rotating internship from 1976-78.   They also travelled across Asia together.  Dr. Randall stayed in the United Kingdom for about a year doing medical and emergency locums in several hospitals.  Upon returning to Canada and a short practice as a family physician, Dr. Randall started a General Surgery Fellowship, but shortly after he transferred to anesthesiology obtaining his fellowship.  This was followed by several anesthetic locums around the province and he returned on staff at VGH in 1986.  In 1987 Dr. Randall became involved in both the retrieval committee and liver transplant committee to prepare for the actual commencement of solid organ transplants such as liver, lung, heart and heart-lung.

The first liver transplant in BC was performed in 1989. Dr. Thomas Randall and Dr. Terry Waters administered the anesthetic.  In preparing for this major operation, Dr. Randall visited UCLA and Pittsburgh for 2-3 weeks each to observe their liver transplant programs, followed by conferences including one in Pittsburgh.  Dr. Randall also administered the anesthetic for the first heart and heart-lung transplants in BC.  Over the 30 years, Dr. Randall was probably involved with over 300 liver transplants.  He was nominated for the Clinical Excellence Award at VGH in 2001 and 2002.  From 2009-2012 he served as the Medical Director of Perioperative Services for VGH and UBC Hospitals.  An avid traveler prior to getting married having visited almost 100 countries, Dr. Randall found himself providing anesthetic services for the Canadian Military in Kandahar Afghanistan in 2008. With retirement beckoning in March of 2018 he now spends his time supporting his wife’s work and shepherding his 7-year-old daughter.

Dr. Terry Waters grew up in North Vancouver, then attended UBC obtaining a BSc in 1973 and MD in 1976.  After working and travelling overseas he entered the UBC anesthesia residency finishing in 1984.  His interests involve liver transplantation and perioperative blood management; he has been involved with the liver transplant program since its inception. Dr Waters started the Periperative Blood Management Program, the only such program in BC, where patients are optimized prior to elective surgery to reduce the need for blood products.  He also was the first to bring ROTEM to VGH.  ROTEM is a test of blood coagulation, and since being available it has changed transfusion practice in cardiac surgery, transplantation and trauma resulting in better management of coagulation problems while using fewer blood products.   Dr. Waters is also a keen cyclist, a trumpet player and has a small vineyard in the Okanagan.

Dr. Jacqueline Trudeau is an anesthesiologist at VGH. She has been part of the liver transplant team since 2015 and has recently become the head of the division of hepatobiliary and liver transplant anesthesia. After growing up in Winnipeg, Dr. Trudeau moved to Vancouver to complete a PhD in cellular immunology at SFU and BC Children’s Hospital. There she studied the immune system and its response following pancreatic islet cell transplantation. She subsequently completed medical school and anesthesiology training at UBC, during which time she developed a keen interest in transfusion medicine, and the effect of blood transfusions on patient outcomes. Following fellowship training in transfusion medicine, she continues to pursue quality improvement work and research in the area of transfusion and liver transplantation. She very much enjoys working as a part of a large and very talented multi-disciplinary team. Her goal is to continue to improve the care that is provided when patients come to the operating room for transplant.

Don’t miss the opportunity to meet these eminent specialists at the Gala, get your tickets here.