AUSTRALIAN rock legend Jim Keays has narrowly survived acute renal failure after a radical stem cell transplant he hopes will save his life.
Keays was diagnosed with multiple myeloma – a cancer of the blood’s plasma cells – six years ago and has been battling the disease since.
Myeloma often attacks the kidneys and Keays had chemotherapy and was put on dialysis after seeing his kidney function drop to 5 per cent.
Early this year he had a transplant using stem cells harvested from his own blood.
Then in radical, and still experimental, surgery, he recently received stem cells from an unknown donor – a man who does not even share Keays’ blood group.
“There is a global register of stem cells donors, and the doctors told me they had found a reasonable match on it,” the former Master’s Apprentices’ frontman explained.
All Keays, who turned 67 last month, knows of the donor is that he is 28 years old and from New Jersey.
When doctors explained the treatment Keays was told it was his “last roll of the dice”.
“The alternative was to die,” said Keays.
The Alfred flew a staff member to America to pick up the donated stem cells while Keays was given radiation therapy to subdue his body’s natural defence against foreign tissue.
“They operated on me nine weeks ago after zapping my immune system,” he said. “It allowed (the donor) stem cells to come in unchallenged.”
It seemed to go well but, as Keays was warned it might, graft-versus-host disease developed – a regular complication from such procedures.
“They warned me that it was still experimental and that there would be drawbacks.”
Not only is the donor not Keays’ blood type, the singer will now “inherit” the donor’s blood group and immune system.
Doctors have kept Keays alive in a complex balancing act involving a mix of sometimes debilitating medications.
“They tweak it on a daily basis,” he explained.
Keays’ kidneys failed in August and he had to call his daughter along with his musical offsider, Russell Morris, to carry him out of the house and on to hospital.
“It’s the third time I’ve been close to death, but now they say I am tracking really well,” he said.
“The donor cells appears to have imbedded themselves properly. I should be virtually free of the cancer.”
Keays has been a fixture on the Australian music scene for more than 45 years after bursting out of Adelaide with the Masters in 1966.
The band’s hits included Undecided, Elevator Driver, 5.10 Man, Turn Up Your Radio and Because I Love You.
For 12 years he performed as part of Cotton Keays Morris until cancer claimed Darryl Cotton last year.
Myeloma is incurable, but Keays has been told it is now almost undetectable and that he no longer requires medication.
He is deeply indebted to the specialists at The Alfred Hospital who are among the foremost experts in his disease in the world. And Keays wants to encourage more blood donations. “Give blood, donate stem cells, be an organ donor,” he said.
Keays, who hasn’t worked in nine months, is looking at hooking up with Morris for some performances later in the year.
“Russell has waited for me. I’ll be able to live a normal life again.
“There’s a tunnel. But I’ve spotted a light.”
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