Guardian Angel
New Zealand Listener|September 15-21 2018

Renowned heart surgeon Alan Kerr saved Donna Lander’s life in 1987. This year – thanks to a Listener story – he saved her again.

Donna Chisholm
Guardian Angel
July, 1987. David Lange’s Labour Government is on the cusp of its second term, the international stock market is three months away from the Black Tuesday collapse, and in Auckland’s Green Lane Hospital, 38-weeks pregnant Donna Lander is close to death.

She had been admitted to the heart unit with chest pain after an emergency flight from her New Plymouth home. A 6cm aneurysm in her aorta was rupturing and only urgent surgery could save her life, but it was fraught with risk, both for her and her unborn child. Do doctors deliver the baby first, or try to save Lander’s life and let the baby take its chances?

Usually during open-heart operations, the patient’s body temperature is cooled to reduce its demand for oxygen, but that carried an unacceptable risk to the baby. In a finely judged medical balancing act, the theatre team, led by cardiac surgeon Alan Kerr, decided to keep Lander warmer than usual during the five-hour operation – it would protect the baby but increase her risk of brain damage.

It was “touch and go”, he says – an obstetric team was on standby in case the baby needed to be urgently delivered by caesarean section. “It was a very major operation at the best of times, even in non-pregnant patients. We caught it just at the time of rupture.”

This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

MORE STORIES FROM NEW ZEALAND LISTENERView all
First-world problem
New Zealand Listener

First-world problem

Harrowing tales of migrants attempting to enter the US highlight the political failure to fully tackle the problem.

time-read
3 mins  |
September 9, 2024
Applying intelligence to AI
New Zealand Listener

Applying intelligence to AI

I call it the 'Terminator Effect', based on the premise that thinking machines took over the world.

time-read
2 mins  |
September 9, 2024
Nazism rears its head
New Zealand Listener

Nazism rears its head

Smirky Höcke, with his penchant for waving with a suspiciously straight elbow and an open palm, won't get to be boss of either state.

time-read
2 mins  |
September 9, 2024
Staying ahead of the game
New Zealand Listener

Staying ahead of the game

Will the brave new world of bipartisanship that seems to be on offer with an Infrastructure Commission come to fruition?

time-read
4 mins  |
September 9, 2024
Grasping the nettle
New Zealand Listener

Grasping the nettle

Broccoli is horrible. It smells, when being cooked, like cat pee.

time-read
3 mins  |
September 9, 2024
Hangry? Eat breakfast
New Zealand Listener

Hangry? Eat breakfast

People who don't break their fast first thing in the morning report the least life satisfaction.

time-read
3 mins  |
September 9, 2024
Chemical reaction
New Zealand Listener

Chemical reaction

Nitrates in processed meats are well known to cause harm, but consumed from plant sources, their effect is quite different.

time-read
4 mins  |
September 9, 2024
Me and my guitar
New Zealand Listener

Me and my guitar

Australian guitarist Karin Schaupp sticks to the familiar for her Dunedin concerts.

time-read
2 mins  |
September 9, 2024
Time is on my side
New Zealand Listener

Time is on my side

Age does not weary some of our much-loved musicians but what keeps them on the road?

time-read
7 mins  |
September 9, 2024
The kids are not alright
New Zealand Listener

The kids are not alright

Nuanced account details how China's blessed generation has been replaced by one consumed by fear and hopelessness.

time-read
4 mins  |
September 9, 2024