Having a twin means living life in parallel, and for identical sisters Briana Harvey and Alissa Allan, it’s meant the pair, both 43, still live in the same suburb, speak every day and both love sport.
But with their identical genetic make-up comes problems when there’s a health issue and it means the women have both had to go through traumatic transplant surgery.
“I was getting symptoms, feeling nauseous and very fatigued, back in 2008, and I was diagnosed with amyloidosis soon after,” Briana tells Woman’s Day.
The twins’ father Richard, who passed away in 2014, also had the rare disease, which sees abnormal protein build up in the organs, specifically in Briana’s case her liver, kidneys and spleen.
“Alissa was diagnosed with the same thing shortly after. We knew there was no cure. It’s about monitoring symptoms and maintenance, but we also knew we might need a liver transplant. It’s rare, but it would be very sudden if it happened.”
Medical scares and second chances
In January 2023, the worst-case scenario played out for Briana – she went into liver failure. “I needed a new liver immediately. It was uncertain if we’d get one in time.”
Her family knew the problems all too well having also faced organ donation from the other side of the fence. In 1998, Briana and Alissa’s brother Jonathan died in a car accident at the age of 20.
“He was able to donate nearly all his organs,” says Melbourne-based Briana. “But we discovered how few people fulfil the criteria and have the ability to donate. It’s only about 2%. It makes it so important for everyone to tick the box to be an organ donor just in case they can.”
Incredibly a donor was found for Briana and, on 20 January 2023, she underwent the eight-hour op to replace her liver.
“I was very lucky and so grateful to the donor and their family,” Briana says. “Over the last 18 months since the surgery, I’ve been so well. I’ve bee given a second chance.”
For Alissa, though, her liver was now a ticking timebomb and it meant going on the transplant list so her situation wouldn’t be an emergency like Briana’s.
“I wondered if I was making the right decision,” she recalls. “I have an eight-year-old and I wanted to put it off for as long as possible.”
But after just nine weeks on the transplant list, she received her organ in April 2024. After being told what bad condition her liver was in, she was relieved to have gone through with it.
“I’m forever grateful and indebted to the donor and their family,” Alissa says. “It’s such an altruistic thing to do. Working to tell people about organ donation is a real priority for me and Briana now.”
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