Rory’s story: why The Alfred Life Support program is needed

“Growing up, 23 was the year I thought I’d get my life sorted. You know, buy a house, settle down … 23 is a year you put everything into, set it up for the rest of your years and have fun at the same time,” he said. 

“But that didn’t happen.” 

An extremely active member in his local regional community near Bairnsdale in the Gippsland Lakes, the aspiring paramedic was working as a plumber, an Ambulance Community Officer (ACO), was a local footy umpire and volunteered for the Country Fire Authority (CFA), with whom he helped fight the Black Summer bushfires in March 2020. 

Apart from some nagging joint pain, Rory was seemingly fit and healthy. Then, overnight, he was suddenly the sickest patient in Australasia’s largest Intensive Care Unit (ICU). 

Despite being incredibly sick, Rory felt strangely comforted by knowing that he was at The Alfred. He knew that this is where you wanted to be as a patient. 

Which is why he is so supportive of anyone becoming a Life Supporter, which can help to save more people like him. Members of the Life Support Program are committed supporters who make regular donations to The Alfred Foundation. 

This program offers a reliable stream of income that allows The Alfred to meet immediate demand as well as plan for future projects. 

Join here at regulargiving.alfredfoundation.org.au or, to find out more about the program, read to the end of this story. 

Less than 12 months earlier, Rory visited The Alfred’s ICU in his role as an ACO. Never in his wildest dreams did he think then that he would be one of the many people needing the specialist critical care of that very same ICU. 

When first starting training as an ACO, a paramedic told him that he needed to see for himself where all the trauma patients go. “So we arranged this tour of the Trauma Centre and ICU at The Alfred and, little did I know that 12 months later I’d be one of those patients,” Rory said. “While visiting, I saw someone on ECMO (extracorporeal membrane oxygenation) and I actually got a bit queasy. 

“And then I woke up in that exact ICU … on that same machine.” 

How it started

In the late hours of May 6 2020, Rory’s life changed forever when he woke up in a sweat, feeling pretty unwell. Luckily for Rory, his friend helped him catch the last ferry from their remote home on Raymond Island and go to Bairnsdale Hospital. The pair was oblivious to what was about to unfold. 

“I thought I’d get discharged pretty quick,” Rory said. 

What followed was an epic 20-person, intense and highly complex 14-hour effort by Adult Retrieval Victoria (ARC) to safely bring Rory on ECMO to The Alfred – a round trip of 446km. 

Unbeknown to Rory, the nagging joint pain he had been experiencing for the previous month was a symptom of a rare autoimmune disease, granulomatosis with polyangiitis – an uncommon disorder which causes inflammation of blood vessels in the nose, sinuses, throat, lungs and kidneys. 

In Rory’s case, it caused severe haemorrhaging in his lungs. They had been progressively filling up with blood and he was breathing at just 5 to 10 per cent of his lung capacity. 

Dr Aidan Burrell, who along with Dr Li Tan was deployed to Bairnsdale as quickly as possible on a helicopter with a mobile ECMO machine, said Rory would have died without it. 

Dr Tan said many factors contributed to saving Rory’s, including the quick response from Bairnsdale Hospital. 

“The fact he went to the hospital early, the doctors at Bairnsdale picked up the deterioration and called The Alfred early, all made a huge difference in Rory’s outcome,” he said. “The Alfred is the only hospital that can dispatch a retrieval team to put someone on ECMO, so contacting The Alfred was critical.” 

'Lucky to have The Alfred'

Rory said that his parents and girlfriend were told that he was the sickest person in the ICU, if not in Australia, during the time he was on ECMO. 

“I’m very lucky to be Australian and very lucky to have this hospital here,” he said. “Largest ICU in Australia, largest trauma centre in Victoria – I was taken to the right place at the right time for the right treatment. 

“Looking back now, everything was pushing against me … and it was a problem that they overcame. 

“To be that far gone and have one foot in the grave … I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for The Alfred, there’s absolutely no doubt about that.” 

These days Rory is doing well and back to enjoying the things he loves, supporting the local community that supported him so much throughout his ordeal. 

Rory’s passion and gratitude to The Alfred is so great that he has had it indelibly inked onto his body, getting The Alfred logo with wings tattooed on his arm. 

About The Alfred Life Support program

The Alfred Life Support program is a group of committed supporters within our wider community who make regular donations to The Alfred Foundation. When these generous donors come together, their contribution multiplies and has a profound impact.  

The program offers a reliable income stream that allows The Alfred to go above and beyond in the care offered to our patients. This year our Life Supporters contributed to the funding of complex cardiac care equipment, wellness programs to support staff mental health and many pieces of equipment critical to the care of patients. 

Join here.