After Kevin André Wright (26) became Norwegian champion in golf in 2019, the search for a place on the PGA Tour in the USA was actually to begin. The dream was to join his good friend Viktor Hovland, who had just begun to make a name for himself among fans, experts and TV viewers all over the world. But in the time after the victory at Losby Golf Club in the summer of 2019, life took a different turn. For several years, Wright had episodes where the heart ran wild, cold sweats and dizziness and fainting. Panic, the doctors said. But family history suggests otherwise. Had a hereditary disease With a father who had a double heart transplant, and a grandfather who also had a new heart, Wright did not settle down with the diagnosis. Every two years, his heart was checked, but no errors appeared on the regular examinations. – Eventually I took a bike test at the doctor, where I rode max. I had heart rhythm disturbances, my heart was running wild and did not want to go down in pulse, even after I beat 250-260. So it turned out that he, like his father and grandfather, was heartbroken. Just a week before, the little sister received the same diagnosis. Ongoing heart failure The disease is called dilated cardiomyopathy. – That is, my heart is dying, and I need a new one during my life. A brutal message to get in the first half of the 20s. But when the heart stops working, he does not know. – It can take five years, it can take 40 years. I hope it takes longer than a short time, so to speak. OPERATED: Kevin André Wright had a heart attack. – I am very happy that I have this insurance. Photo: Private About 10 percent of patients with heart failure have dilated cardiomyopathy as the cause. This is stated by chief physician and section leader Håvard Keilegavlen at Haukeland University Hospital. – It is a serious disease that requires extensive treatment, he says. Most people need to use heart medication and some need defibrillators or heart failure pacemakers. – Nevertheless, most patients can live well with their disease, and very few patients will need a heart transplant, says the heart specialist. In Wright’s case, defibrillators were needed. Only a couple of weeks after the bike test, he underwent surgery. It was to save his life six months later. – Like a bomb inside Home At last summer it happened. The pulse accelerated, and eight small shocks were sent from the defibrillator to restore normal heart rhythm. It did not help. – I grabbed the wall, curved my chest and got the first proper shock. Then I went to the ground, says Wright. POSITIVE: Kevin André Wright thinks it’s a little strange to think that his heart has to be changed at some point. – But it does not help to sit and think about it, then you just get sicker. Photo: Vegard Lilleås / news The defibrillator measured 263 in pulse before it said stop. Normal maximum heart rate for someone in their mid-20s is just under 200. – It slams. It sounds like a bomb objection, and you get tinnitus in your ears. It is an extremely special feeling to have a cardiac arrest and experience that the starter strikes. The defibrillator slammed shut again, saving Wright’s life. More and more people are waiting for a new organ In addition to having to operate on a defibrillator, the 26-year-old has been told that he is among those who will need a new heart sometime in the future. Information manager Aleksander Sekowski in the Organ Donation Foundation can tell that more and more people are queuing up for organ donation. – In the last ten years, the queue has doubled, he says. Figures from 25 May show that over 400 are waiting for a new body in Norway. If one counts people who have been temporarily removed from the list for various reasons, the number is 635. 18 of these people are between 18 and 29 years old. It is in the age group 60 to 69 that is most, with 179. FANTASTIC INITIATIVE: Aleksander Sekowski is absolutely certain that more people register as donors following the initiative of Kevin André Wright. Photo: Ingar Sorensen Aging population, increase in lifestyle diseases and increasingly older donors, and thus fewer organs that can be donated away, are among the reasons. Another factor is that more patients today are offered organ donation, due to medical developments. – And that is positive, says Sekowski. Decline during the pandemic In the last two years, during the corona pandemic, the Organ Donation Foundation saw the donor rate decline. This means that the supply of organs became worse. People were more at home and there were fewer accidents that caused death that is compatible with organ donation. – There was less capacity in the health care system, and organ donation was slightly pushed out on the sidelines. That almost all the column space went to the corona also had an effect, says Sekowski. Every year, the foundation conducts a survey to find out how people respond to organ donation. In November 2021, 79 percent answered that they are positive. 4 percent answered that they are negative. – Good to have said yes Although cardiac arrest without warning is rare, it can happen even the best trained. In September 2018, cross-country skier Ida Eide died after suffering a cardiac arrest during an exercise run. Cohabitant Nils-Ingar Aadne and the rest of the family chose to say yes to organ donation. – The whole situation is difficult, there are lots of emotions and a traumatic experience to lose someone you love. And then you get that question at the top. But we went for a walk, and were eventually completely safe, says Aadne. SAY YES: Nils-Ingar Aadne lost the girlfriend he had when cohabitant Ida Eide passed away in 2018. He thinks it is good to know that others are living on because they said yes to organ donation. Photo: Privat Eide had downloaded the organ donor app himself and had a chat with his loved ones. – It was impossible to save her, so then it feels good that you can at least save someone else. In retrospect, we are very happy that we did. Aadne is chairman of the board of Ida Eide’s memorial fund, which, among other things, distributes pacemakers. In May, the comedian from Andebu became an ambassador for the Organ Donation Foundation. – You are in shock and grief, and it is difficult to think rationally in such a situation. But I would encourage you to think about what organ donation can have for others. It saves many lives, gives longer lives and improves the quality of life insanely for even more. HEART STARTER: Nils-Ingar Aadne and Ida Eide’s memorial fund have distributed heart starters to the sport. Here, the sports team at Gjøvik will also receive training in using it in 2020. Photo: Knut Røsrud / news Star-studded charity tournament On July 1, the Wright Invitational, a charity tournament for income for the Organ Donation Foundation, will be held. – I have a father who has had a heart transplant, and organ donation is close to me. When I got the disease myself, I thought that now I can give something back, says Wright. 27 Norwegian celebrities line up. Among them Jon Almaas, Lasse Kjus, Kurt Nilsen and John Arne Riise. But the biggest draw is Wright’s good friend Viktor Hovland, one of the world’s best golfers. COMING HOME: Viktor Hovland and caddy Shay Knight will both be seen at Vestfold Golf Club on 1 July. It is rare to see Hovland in action at home in Norway and it is expected up to 5000 spectators. Here from the US Open June 16th. Photo: DAVID CANNON / AFP – Before I had time to finish speaking, he had said yes. I am very grateful that he and the caddy Shay Knight take the time to come to Norway for this, says Wright. Never experienced similar The income from the tournament exceeded one million kroner already three weeks before the tournament. And after the auction to play with Hovland was over, the sum went up even more. For the auction winner pocketed 350,000 kroner. – That a private person collects money or gives gifts, is common. But to the extent and with the sums in question in Wright’s case, I do not think we have seen before, says Aleksander Sekowski in the Organ Donation Foundation. – It is an absolutely fantastic initiative. Kevin is a tornado, a workhorse. It is amazing what he has achieved in such a short time, at the same time as he is heartbroken. Sekowski has no doubt that this initiative will lead to more people becoming organ donors. – We are absolutely sure of that. The professional dream was on hold Wright became Norwegian champion in golf in 2019, and the dream of a career on the PGA Tour in the USA with his friend Viktor Hovland is still alive. But the last few years of illness and surgery have set him back. Quite recently, he has been allowed to play rounds of golf without driving a car. – I have a lot of rehabilitation before I am one hundred percent. But when I feel ready, I will train much more and have a more normal workday, says the 26-year-old who spends most of the year living in Florida in the USA. He must take care not to overwork himself, and has had to change his golf swing. But in everyday life, the disease no longer prevents him so much. And the dream of the golf course as a workplace is still alive. GOOD FRIENDS: It’s incredibly fun to see a friend do so well, says Wright about Hovland. On July 1, the world star comes to Vestfold to help his friend collect money for the Organ Donation Foundation. Photo: Kongsvinger Golf Club
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Kevin’s heart will fail – news Vestfold and Telemark – Local news, TV and radio
