4 FRANK MACKAY INTERVIEWED BOBBY RYDELL IN JANUARY <strong>2017</strong> © James Kriegsmann, New York 1960 TALK NATION |ISSUE VIII
5 Frank: I’d like to welcome everyone to Breaking It Down. Frank MacKay here. It’s my pleasure -- I’m thrilled-- to have the incomparable Bobby Rydell with us. Bobby, how are you? Bobby: I’m just fine Frank, and yourself? Frank: I’m doing great. I’m so glad to hear you’re doing well and getting strong. I know you had a bit of a health scare a while back. Bobby: Yeah, just a little bit. Frank: Yeah. Listen, from what I hear you’re stronger than ever and you sound great and you’re performing as well as ever. Do you feel good up there on stage? Bobby: Yeah, I really do Frank. To let the audience in about what you’re talking about, it’ll be five years come this July the 9th that I went through a double transplant surgery. I had a new liver and a new kidney put inside me. After the surgery, of course there was recoup time, but then six months later after the surgery, I was back again on stage working in Vegas. Now it’s going on to five years and jobs feel great and I feel great. So far everything is really, really wonderful. Frank: Thank God. It’s terrific. Let me ask you, and pardon my ignorance on this, how rare is a double transplant? Bobby: That’s a good question. I really don’t know, but my donor was a young girl by the name of Julia. She was only 21 years old, Frank, came from Reading, Pennsylvania, just like 50 miles from my home here in Philadelphia. One of the reasons that I did ... I was able to get the liver transplant was that I was also going into renal failure involving the kidney. It was just ... It was like a miracle the way it happened Frank. As far as double transplants, I don’t know, but I was fortunate enough to be able to get a partial liver and brand new kidney from my donor. Frank: I’m sure you’re asked this a lot, but it’s got to be a new lease on life, or feel like a new lease on life once you rehab and once you get back out there. Bobby: That’s absolutely for sure Frank. I remember I was talking to a couple of people who had transplants, liver transplants, and this was of course prior to my surgery. I didn’t know if I was going to get one. You have to be put on a list and yada, yada, yada. They said you won’t believe, Bobby, if you’re fortunate enough, how good you’re going to feel after you’re able to receive a new liver, and that’s absolutely true, really. I feel absolutely ... I was sick as hell prior to the surgery to the point where if I didn’t get the liver and the kidney I would have been dead within a couple of weeks. Frank: Listen, congratulations to you and congratulations to Julia. There’s got to be a spot reserved in heaven, wherever that is, for Julia. Bobby: She’s my special angel. The great thing about the whole process, Frank, was that I shared a liver. I thought I was the primary receiver, but there was a little girl here in Philadelphia. She was only four years old. She was the primary recipient and we split Julia’s liver. The little girl got 25%, I got 75%. Of course, the liver is the only organ in the body that rejuvenates, so now she’s eight old and she has a full liver and I have a full liver. I mean organ donorship is absolutely tremendous. It really is the gift of life. TALK NATION |ISSUE VIII
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