Original subtitles

Ambulance. What's the emergency? Quickly, we're at Southport!

OK.

The Gold Coast.

Where the lights burn bright and the sunshine never ends.

While many Aussies call it home... Every year 12 million tourists

come to play on this stretch of golden coastline.

He was surfing when he got bitten on both legs by a shark.

I don't think I'm going in the sea again!

(SIRENS)

But the good times can often turn ugly.

I want the pelvic binder on him, OK?

And when they do... She's not breathing.

..these are the people you want on your side.

There's nothing that we can't fix, sweetheart.

I know. (CRYING BABY)

I'm still very concerned about this man.

There's nothing like Ebola.

Whether you're just visiting or you live here...

My baby's life is going to be cut shorter because of this.

They don't want see me die. She can't be replaced.

These are the real stories... Hey, I love you too buddy.

..of the cutting edge medical teams...

Do not move your head.

We need to go in and get that clot out straight away.

Good work, guys!

..who pick you up... OK, let's get moving.

Best job I've done, anyway! Nailing things.

..patch you up... Superpower!

The fairy dust is very magical and it fixes all sorts of things.

..and put you back in paradise.

Tonight on 'Gold Coast Medical'.

An extreme alert when a sick man arrives from Africa.

We have sent a sample of blood to the reference laboratory

for testing for Ebola.

When this doctor isn't dropping in...

Are you seeing stuff? Are you hallucinating?

..she's ducking for cover.

Alright, OK. Alright.

Rare twins in a life-threatening situation.

If the cord becomes entangled, it could potentially

compromise their only lifeline.

And this young patients injury is not nearly as painful

as the call to his mum. I have some bad news for you.

It's kinda serious.

Part of caring for people who are unwell is dealing with the unknown.

Hospital staff can be exposed to microscopic nasties

like Staph infections, superbugs and pathogens from all over the world.

Dr John Gerrard understands the risks better than anyone.

He's Director of Infectious Diseases

for the Gold Coast University Hospital and today is going to be

a day unlike any he's dealt with on the Gold Coast.

Level 5.

Thirty-six-year-old man returned from West Africa six days ago

and now he's been admitted to hospital with a high fever.

About 40 degrees.

He's a Gold Coast man working on a gold mine in rural Mali.

About a hundred kilometres from Guinea border.

In recent months, tens of thousands of people

have died in West Africa from an epidemic of Ebola.

John was very close to the problem, as he was part of

the Australian medical aid team that went to Africa on a mission

to fight the deadly disease.

It was an extraordinary, exciting, scary experience.

The worst affected city, in the worst affected country,

in the worst ever epidemic of the most lethal

communicable disease known.

This wasn't just a humanitarian mission, it was actually

in Australia's national interest to prevent the transmission

of Ebola virus disease.

So it could not escape from there and come here.

John is worried he could be looking at the very first

case of Ebola in Australia.

So, every precaution is taken.

I'm going to be changing into scrubs and into my personal

protective equipment and going to speak to and examine him.

The hospital's emergency plan is activated and Daniel is isolated.

Ebola is transmitted through any bodily fluid contact.

In the African epidemic, half of all cases end

in a terrible death from internal haemorrhaging.

So anyone approaching Daniel must cover every part of their body.

The hospital is equipped with a negative pressure

quarantine chamber.

Specially designed air conditioning... make sure no air

escapes into the rest of the hospital when the airlock is opened.

Finally, Dr Gerrard can begin the examination.

Along with Ebola's signature rash and aching joints

he checks for signs of any other infectious diseases.

In this sort of patient, coming back from Africa,

the commonest cause of fever is malaria.

That's by far and away the commonest cause

but we've already had two malaria tests which have come back negative.

With malaria ruled out, the likelihood that Daniel

has Ebola increases.

We have sent a sample of blood to the reference laboratory

for testing for Ebola.

The blood samples are an extreme bio-hazard.

Because Daniel is being tested for Ebola,

Dr Gerrard must also notify authorities in Canberra.

I don't know if you're aware, if you've been following the media,

there was a surge in Guinea last week.

There's a problem. They've sent in a WHO team.

Anxiously waiting outside is Daniel's mum, Jocelyn.

He phoned me and said, "Mum you might have to take me

to hospital, I feel terrible".

I was just thinking it was malaria. And it wouldn't be anything else.

Ebola is a frightening illness.

At this point he would be thinking too,

well, this looks more serious than I think it is.

I will be another few nervous hours before the blood test

results come back and Daniel knows if he's carrying the deadly disease.

(MARK RONSON'S UPTOWN FUNK PLAYS)

Dr Claire Roche makes no secret of why she traded

the north of England for a life on the Gold Coast.

♪ This is that ice cold Michelle Pfeiffer that white gold. ♪

I started surfing in the UK.

I think that's what attracted me to the Gold Coast

just cause I wanted to surf and have it all, basically.

Have a nice job. Sunshine.

Beach. Surfing. I'm no Steph Gilmore.

In English standards I'd say I'm pretty good.

(LAUGHS)

♪ Cause don't believe me just watch! Come on! ♪

Claire also has the world's coolest doctor's gig.

♪ Don't believe me just watch! ♪

Over the last few years been given a job with

the World Surfing League, working as one of the doctors on that.

Sharing two loves of surfing and emergency medicine.

And obviously see a lot of wipe-outs. A lot of reef cuts.

There's all sorts of weird and wonderful tropical stuff.

So, yeah, it's different and exciting. So...

When she's not on tour, the sort of problems Claire

deals with are often less glamorous and more self-inflicted.

Roughly, how much have you drank tonight?

It's the start of a holiday gone. Just tell me. (LAUGHS)

About 15? Alright.

I can't handle it that well, but try to keep up with my friends,

so... Yeah, no it's all good fun. (LAUGHS)

A boozy boys holiday went horribly wrong when 19-year-old

Mitchell's best mate broke his jaw, after drinking half a slab.

Yeah so this is the left side of his mental.

As you can see that's all mal-aligned.

And that's what's poking up into his mouth as we see it.

See, that's another fracture there.

So he's basically broken up here of his jaw and there of his jaw.

So... And this bit is kind of up into his mouth.

Nasty injury.

Mitch will undergo reconstructive surgery just 12 hours

after stepping off a plane from New Zealand.

Me and my mates tapped downed here like 6 o'clock.

And so we just decided to have a bit of fun.

And... Yeah, here I am. (LAUGHS)

It's all good. Bit of experience.

Most of the assaults are alcohol and drug related.

It's not common where we see assaults where

people don't have... a bit of alcohol on board.

Think I just need constant stimulation

and emergency gives that to me. I never know what I'm going to get.

I think it's that variety that's always attracted me.

And Claire's next patient, doesn't disappoint.

Settle down sweetheart, alright. (YELLS)

(MUSIC)

25-year-old Tami is halfway through her first pregnancy.

While boyfriend Pete, injured playing footy,

looks like he's the one with the hospital appointment,

they're here for their very unusual pair of twins.

They're in the same sac together.

Whereas normally twins are in two different sacs.

Um... So they're sharing everything, basically.

(LAUGHS) They share... They're in one room.

Yeah... they share the same placenta.

They're feeding off the same blood supplies.

So it's all very dangerous.

Hi Tami...

Today, Tami and Pete are in seeing specialist obstetrician,

Dr Adriana Olog, who is an expert on these unique type of twins.

These twins are called monochorionic monoamniotic.

So, one placenta. One sack.

These twins are very special because they are genetically identical.

But, not only that, they originated from the same

fertilised egg that split quite late.

Had it been a few days later, what then would have led to

is what we call conjoined twins.

Where twins can actually be fused together.

Tami and Pete's babies are so rare that only one

in every 60,000 pregnancies result in these twins.

What makes them particularly special is because they are sharing

the same room. They don't... can't be protected from each other.

And so... they're going to have little fights in there

and because of that their cords, which is really their lifelines,

can get entangled.

That can sometimes put a little bit of tension on the cord

and potentially increase the risk for these sort of twins. OK.

Because the twins may tangle in the umbilical cord,

they are considered high risk.

There's every chance they'll be born prematurely.

So, the soon to be parents, are getting

a tour of the neonatal care unit from Dr Pita Birch.

I'm a Neonatologist, so that means I'm a paediatrician

that looks after new born babies.

So I'll be there in the birthing room with a team

of registrar... for each baby.

And a nurse for each baby.

And myself, to kind of oversee things.

And then once the babies are out, if they're breathing

is really stable then even on that first day

we can get your babies out for a cuddle.

I love my job.

I love working here and doing what I'm doing.

I love the babies and spending time with their families.

Janelle was just born this morning.

She's got the prongs in her nose to help with her breathing.

It can be daunting for first time parents... and is something

Pita can relate to on a very personal level.

My daughter was born at 27 weeks, which is 13 weeks early.

She was less than a kilo born, so, she was only 2 pounds 2 ounces.

And she was pretty sick.

And so my wife and I spent a lot of time by her bedside

while she was in hospital for just a little bit over 10 weeks.

That's so small... I didn't think it could be that tiny, man.

That, I think, influenced me a great deal, in terms of not only my desire

to do neonatology but also using my experience to help me do my job.

Billie and Penny are around 2 kilos.

Billie's exactly 2 kilos and Penny is 1770 grams.

So, your girls will probably be around that kind of 18... 2 kilos

at 32 weeks, will be around about the size, if they're well grown.

But, despite being well-informed, Pete has a good

reason to be nervous about the birth of his twins.

My mum had twins, twin girls, and she lost one of them.

It was a worry factor for me since we knew that we were having twins.

Every day's a worry.

Yeah. Every day we just want to make sure they're OK.

There's now an anxious wait until their next ultrasound

when there will be a very unexpected turn of events.

Tonight in Seven News.

(SEAGULL SQWAWK)

(MUSIC)

In the emergency department, Dr Claire Roche

is dealing with a young man out of it on drugs.

Are you going to the toilet all normally at the moment?

Yeah...

Yeah? No problems going for number one and number two? No?

Your speech is a bit slurry as well isn't it?

The man was arrested for breaching an apprehended violence order.

But after spending a night behind bars, he hasn't sobered up.

And police are concerned for his health.

He's going to have to stay here for the time being.

Yep. He's too unwell to go back.

To be honest, I don't like to know what these patients have done.

I feel like, number one, it's none of my business,

it's just to treat them.

OK, you're pretty away with the fairies aren't you?

And I wouldn't want that to encroach on how I care for patients.

Is it just heroin that you've taken or have you taken anything else?

Any mushrooms... Anything like that?

(GROANS) No?

My gut instinct is, its possibly a drug-related thing

but it's not obviously shouting out that it's heroin.

But I might just give him a bit of Narcan, which is the reversal agent.

If it is just opiates, he'll wake up very quickly with the Narcan.

If it's not, then he is going to stay as he is.

I'm going to need to pop a little needle into your veins.

(SLURRING SPEECH)

I think we're going to need to do some blood tests on you. OK?

(INAUDIBLE)...blood tests? Would that be OK?

Yeah. Yeah, I'm a bit worried about you.

Eh? You don't look very well. (SLURRED SPEECH)

Yeah.

His heart rate about 140 and he's looking quite unwell at the moment.

And his heart rate should really be less than half of that

so obviously his body is working overtime, so it's quite concerning.

(MUSIC)

Today is Tami's 27 week scan to see how her twin girls are doing.

This time she's brought along her dad who is also a nurse.

For a couple of days I think I just worked around in a daze. Huge shock.

Because, we didn't expect it. We're a fairly traditional family.

We didn't even know...

That she's not married and we were like, oh, this is...

like... not expected. But then, of course, exciting.

I mean, we're having grandchildren.

And then we found out it was twins it was like wow, it's really cool.

So... Oh, there you go.

Oh, that's good shot there. Oh, look at that.

That's wonderful, that's lovely. Trying to suck... Suck her thumb.

Yeah... There's... There's something going on there.

Suck her thumb. (CHUCKLES)

And you can see the hand just in front of the face.

Yeah. It's cute.

While the twins look playful, Dr Adriana Olog's

greatest fear is that because the babies are in a single sac,

their umbilical cords could be extremely tangled.

So here, we can see all of that colour is really

just the cords all coming together there.

If the cord becomes entangled and pulled it could potentially

compromise the blood flow through the cord.

And that is quite a scary concept because babies completely

rely on the blood flow that they get through the cord from the placenta.

It is their only lifeline.

Unmonitored, the chances of these types of twin

surviving pregnancy, full-term, can be as low as 50%.

Our recommendations now would be for you to come into hospital.

OK? OK.

It's really stressful.

We're quite concerned because... One, the twins can get into danger

really quick.

And then we're worried for Tami because... you know,

it's really dangerous for her.

Dr Olog would like to deliver Tammy's babies

by caesarean section prematurely.

To increase their chances of survival.

So, I am sorry to frighten you, but it is that time.

What started as a routine ultrasound ends with Tami

being admitted to the hospital.

So her double baby countdown can begin.

(MUSIC)

(SIRENS)

There's nothing like Ebola.

It's the deadliest communicable disease known.

Director of infectious diseases Dr John Gerard

is waiting on pathology tests to tell him if 36-year-old Daniel

has contracted the deadly Ebola virus while working in Africa.

We still don't have a clear diagnosis.

I'm still very concerned about this man.

He is a little worse this evening. His temperature is clearly rising.

He's hot.

Feels worse than he was a couple of hours ago.

With Ebola a very real possibility.

No one is taking any chances.

And Dr Gerard gets a call from health authorities in Canberra.

A decision has been made under the Commonwealth

Quarantine Act, that he needs to be transferred

to the designated quarantine facility for Queensland.

Which is at the Royal Brisbane Hospital.

Whilst we await further results.

It's a frightening time for Daniel and his mother, Jocelyn.

Very worrying. I was horrified.

He found it all quite alarming.

In Australia, the biggest risk of Ebola infection

is within the hospital environment.

That is a traveller who has been to an area where

there is Ebola... infection.

Bringing that virus back to Australia

and transmitting that in the hospital environment.

This is the first time the Queensland Ambulance Service

has ever deployed its mobile isolation tent.

We exercise extreme caution.

And we are being extremely cautious with him.

Treating him as the worst case scenario.

Because it would be a terrible mistake if we were not to do so.

(MUSIC)

OK, you're pretty away with the fairies aren't ya?

In the Emergency Department, Dr Claire Roche

is dealing with a mystery drug cocktail.

What have you taken all exactly? (GROANS)

This young man's been brought in from the Watchhouse today,

not really with it. Police were concerned

so they brought him into see us. (YELLS)

Settle down sweetheart. Alright? You're in the hospital.

As you can see, quite intermittently agitated.

His pupils are quite small.

We do know that he's taken intravenous heroin

but it's looking like there's probably something else going on.

It doesn't look like a straightforward heroin overdose.

You OK sweetheart?

We're just gonna go for a scan on your head, OK?

We're gonna be transferring him straight for a CT scan of his brain

to make sure there's not been any head injuries prior to him

getting to the Watchhouse.

Make sure there is no bleeding on the brain

which could be causing his obtunded kind of picture.

One, two, three.

(FEEBLE WAIL)

Sorry sweetheart. We're just doing that scan of your head now, OK?

He's totally away with it...

The CT scan clears the man of a head injury.

So his behaviour is definitely drug-related.

Claire will neutralise any heroin still in the man's system

with a drug called Narcan.

Alright, sweetheart.

We'll give him 400 mics of Narcan and see what he does with that.

There we go.

Just waking him up a bit, isn't it?

The initial signs are good... Yeah.

..but they're short lived.

(FEEBLE GROANS)

Are you seeing stuff? Are you hallucinating?

Alright, OK. Alright.

We've gotta be quick to dodge the punch.

Clearly not himself.

He clearly doesn't even realise where he is and...

Yeah, he's obviously acutely under the influence of some drugs.

(WHINES) (SLURRED SPEECH)

The Narcan hasn't changed the man's consciousness level.

You're in the hospital mate, you're all good.

So Claire is now certain he has another powerful drug on-board.

With his heart rate going up, his consciousness level going down,

his bladder is in retention and not emptying itself.

So, he's got over a litre of urine in his bladder

and usually we feel the need to go for a wee at about 200mls.

We're going to need to drain his bladder.

Which basically means a catheter. Which is a small tube

up into the bladder.

And I think his agitation is such that we wouldn't be able to do that.

So, we're going to put him on a ventilator

and put him to sleep and I think that's going to be the safest

thing for him, so we can deliver him the proper care

without agitating him.

I think it's the kindest thing for him.

Good stats...

The patient is moved to an isolation ward under police guard

where he'll sleep off the effects of his drug binge for 24 hours.

And then return to police custody.

You're treating people when they're very vulnerable

and at their worst and it's... I feel very honoured to be given

that job and be in the position of helping people

at some unpleasant points in their life.

Trying make that time a little bit easier.

25-year-old mum to be, Tami, has been bed-bound for a month.

As hospital staff monitor her troublesome twins.

It's been stressful for Tami because the type of twins that she has.

The little girls are sharing the same amniotic sac and placenta.

They're in danger of becoming entangled in the umbilical cords.

So today, they'll be delivered eight weeks early.

Dad to be, Pete, and the highly specialised neonatal team,

led by Pita Birch, are at the ready.

So, we've got to be prepared for everything really.

Alright, time to have some babies.

Dr Olog makes an incision across the lower part of Tami's stomach,

down into her uterus.

That'll feel a bit weird. Yeah.

Because your muscle's contracting.

Although Tami's been anaesthetised from the waist down...

Bit of stretching. A little bit strange.

..she can still feel considerable pain, pressure and tugging.

Stretch. Ah!

Just some stretching now, Tami. Just stretching.

That's the most horrible bit.

Next, Dr Olog orders the twins single sac... to be ruptured.

Yep, just go. Just break the seal... Good!

Out!

(MOANS)

Pressure, now.

NURSE: Drop the curtain, please.

Ooh! Hello!

Hello! Hello!

And baby Jasmine comes into the world.

(BABY CRIES)

Here we go!

I'm sorry, darling!

She is a darling.

But it looks like there could be a problem for baby Elia.

And it's the very thing that the medical team

was most concerned about.

(BABY CRIES)

Dr Olog is delivering Tami and Pete's twin babies by C-section.

Baby Jasmine is out.

But baby Elia is in danger...

..with the umbilical cord wrapped around her neck.

And this is the major concern for these sort of twins

that these movements can pull on the cord

and impede the blood supply.

Although they untangle her straight away, she's yet to make a sound.

For dad to be, Pete, having lost a sister in similar

circumstances... it's frightening.

Just going to give her some breaths. She hasn't started

breathing properly. We're just gonna give her some breaths to help.

It's OK.

Come on.

By now, baby Elia should have taken her first breath.

(WAILS)

Finally, with a mighty wail, Elia begins her life

in the outside world.

Feels wonderful. Very excited. Yeah, over the moon.

Both girls have done well. They've come out

and had good attempts to breathe and both of them are working

a little bit harder with their breathing.

Which means they're struggling to get air in and out.

Which means their lungs are a little bit stiff.

Part of that will be the prematurity and part of that will just be

getting rid of fluid from out of the lungs.

Do you want to see your daughter?

Now that both babies are doing well, Tami can finally meet her

little bundles of joy.

Hello there. Is that so?

You look the same.

You're both so tiny.

(LAUGHS) So beautiful.

(ONLY LOVE BY BEN HOWARD PLAYS)

♪ Darling you're with me Always around me

♪ Only love Only love... ♪

They really do look identical.

A little bit scary and... But, yeah it's cute at the same time.

It's kind of just sinking in now.

So, can we like, take them out and cuddle them now?

Yeah.

Well, they're your babies, so you need to be able...

You're allowed to touch them and cuddle them when you like.

They've got no medical problems,

the doctors don't need much to do with them anymore.

She looks so small in your arms.

Hello! Who's that, huh?

Oh, who's that, huh?

♪ Only Love Only love... ♪

Thanks for your help, Pita.

I haven't done very much at all. They've looked after themselves,

they've been fantastic.

You see families at the end and they're really appreciative of the

care that they have been given and they're taking home healthy babies.

It's very satisfying, absolutely.

♪ Darling you're with me Forever and always... ♪

Dr Harald Puhalla often sees patients whose

lives are at a crossroads.

When he carries out liver surgery to remove a cancer

he may be able to stop the illness in its tracks or he may

discover signs that his patient is beyond help.

Cancer is a terrible diagnosis.

For everyone.

And no one is really prepared for it.

So they'll try to deal as quickly as we can

to come up with a appropriate treatment.

Dr Puhalla's next patient is Jenny.

Who's about to have her second major cancer surgery.

I just really want to have the operation

and get back to just enjoying life and spending time with my family.

Jenny's illness has brought her closer to her

two adult kids and her mum, Kathy.

Mum's probably my best friend, really.

She's faced everything with a lot of courage and determination.

And she'll come through it fine.

She's breezed through everything.

Where, you know, everybody was telling her how painful

it was going to be and how sick she would be.

And she wasn't.

Jenny's battle with cancer started a bit over a year ago.

It all came about by chance really.

I went to the doctor with a friend who needed a colonoscopy.

She wasn't very happy to do that, so I said that I would go with her.

It turned out that I actually had a tumour.

The tumour in Jenny's bowel was cancerous

and needed intensive treatment.

Six months of chemotherapy, radiotherapy,

then had bowel cancer surgery.

Then went back on to six months of chemotherapy.

Jenny was just getting back on her feet again

when she got some devastating news.

Oh, I just went for a follow-up with a blood test

and found out the cancer has come back.

About 30% of the patients who have colorectal cancer

or bowel cancer, will develop liver metastasis at some stage.

This means that cancer cells move from the bowel into the liver.

I'm 51 and...

..there's a 15% chance of surviving another

five years from now.

If we focus on the sad side, that will be the way it is.

Life is a mixture of good times, bad times, ups,

downs and this is probably one of the downs.

Today, Jenny's boyfriend, Tony, is at the hospital to support her

as she has three large tumours removed from her liver.

If I think about it I get a little bit scared, you know.

So I try and not to think about it.

No. I'm trying very hard not to think about it.

She's such a strong person, you know.

I'm a little bit anxious but, you know, how it's all going

to pan out but... She'll be right.

The mind played a few tricks through the night.

So I woke up thinking about things.

Jenny knows that if the cancer has spread to more of her vital organs

it might already be too late.

There's a small chance I will find something else in your tummy.

Which would make the operation not in your interests.

After returning from West Africa mine worker, Daniel,

was hospitalised with a high fever.

His travel history and his symptoms rang alarm bells

for Dr John Gerrard who took no chances with his patient.

There are a number of different viruses

that one can acquire in Africa.

We have sent a sample of blood to the reference laboratory

for testing for Ebola.

Fearing that Daniel may have carried

the Ebola virus from the African epidemic into Australia...

..Dr Gerrard set in motion an emergency response.

The decision has been made that he needs to be

transferred to the designated quarantine facility.

It's been a harrowing 24 hours for Daniel.

Sufferers have a 50 per cent chance of survival.

Finally, the pathology lab has returned its findings to Dr Gerrard.

Yeah, so this is a list of all the tests for the various

microbes that we've performed.

Viruses. Bacteria etc.

And all of. Them have come back negative

So we have been unable to identify the cause for Daniel's illness.

But Ebola Virus seems unlikely at this stage.

Whilst Ebola is ruled out, the mystery continues.

The question really for the Australian context is

whether this is potentially communicable.

So that's why we take great precautions with such cases

when they come to Australia. Yes, it is a little frustrating.

I like to... I always like to be able to tell someone what they had

and patients usually like to know...

Well, they do like to know what it was that actually made them ill.

But, Daniel's well, which is the good news.

And he's actually quite keen to get back to the mine in Mali.

Gold Coast strata manager Jenny has spent the last year

recovering from bowel cancer.

Once that was finished, then I went back to work.

(LAUGHS)

The long rehabilitation was a financial setback

for this hard-working mother of two.

But I've got really good friends who leant me money

to pay for car payments and that type of thing.

So I was very fortunate... and I owe them a lot of money.

(LAUGHS)

Just when Jenny thought her life was back on track,

she discovered the cancer has spread to her liver.

Today, Dr Harald Puhalla is planning to remove

a large section of Jenny's liver.

Where three malignant tumours have spawned.

This is her liver on the screens.

You can see that here.

Here on the top.

Can you see over here is the metastasis.

Here is another one.

This is the left upper quadrant here.

There's another one...

Removing the tumours could stop the cancer spreading

but if its already spread, surgery will be too little too late.

Just have a look around if I can see anything else.

If lesions are smaller than a couple of millimetres,

you can't see them on CT scan or MRI.

This is when we have a look around with the camera,

because with our eye we can see that.

The inspection of Jenny's organs provides a glimmer of hope.

OK. Ah... It looks OK.

Couldn't see anything else.

Working through four small ports, Dr Puhalla begins the process

of cutting away the diseased tissue.

So these are the attachments of the left liver to the body surface.

Liver surgery techniques have evolved faster

than any other branch of surgery over the last 20 years.

This technique is the very latest.

He's running the instrument in his right hand.

And I facilitate the power.

So we have to work as a team.

And you can see here on the screen,

the heart is just beating next to us.

She had a advanced, primary cancer.

Which usually makes it more likely that the disease is coming back.

Jenny's surgery today will buy her some time.

Liver tissue does grow back... But so do cancer cells.

(SIRENS)

(ROCK MUSIC)

21-year-old Californian, Jordan and his girlfriend Kenley,

have been living the dream.

Surfing, studying abroad and soaking up the Gold Coast sunshine.

Ambulance. What's the town or suburb of the emergency?

Surfers Paradise. (SIRENS)

But an idea to make some fast cash...

..has landed Jordan in hospital.

Well, it sounds like he was cycling round a roundabout

and got hit by a car.

Trapped his ankle between, presumably, a bit of bike

that he managed to get most of the impact on and the bumper of the car.

On the case is emergency doctor, Louisa Saunders.

Now, can we give you some painkillers?

Do you think so? Do I need it?

I don't know. It's not my ankle. (LAUGHS)

The reason Jordan was helmetless riding a bike

was because he was on his way to a pawn shop.

Trying to swap his pushie for cash.

I'm trying to get rid of all my stuff,

so I can meet my parents in Bali.

Because I haven't seen them in a while.

If Jordan's foot is broken, it would wreak havoc

with his planned surfing holiday in Bali with his family.

You have broken it. Oh. I have broken it?

But it's not in hundreds of pieces or anything nasty.

This is not great news at all.

So, he will need surgery.

This is a tetanus jab.

It's a tough break for the young student and his girlfriend, Kenley.

I might not be able to fly for, like, at least a week.

Probably not make it to Bali. So...

Because it's likely Jordan's ankle will be really unstable

he'll probably need screws to keep it together.

And that means wearing a cast for at least six weeks.

Like, there's no way he's gonna be able to fly... in a week?

I would probably recommend against it.

How dangerous is it?

If you're immobile for a while in a cast,

your risk of something like a clot goes up.

Yep. Sorry mate, it's not great news eh?

Don't get upset.

No.

Were you planning a trip or something today?

We're going to Bali in two days and it's the first time

I've seen my parents in, like, six months and... they're super excited.

And my mum's worked really hard to organise us altogether.

Have you called your parents?

Jordan knows his mum will be distressed

once she hears he's been involved in a car accident.

You have to talk to her first because she needs to know

that you're OK.

Hello?

Mum, I have some bad news for you.

After surviving a brush with bowel cancer, 51 year old Jenny

discovered she has three cancerous tumours in her liver.

Dr Harald Puhalla is hoping that removing the diseased

part of Jenny's liver will stop the cancer from coming back again.

I think we have achieved what we wanted to achieve.

Blood loss was really minimal.

Only 50mls and I think, so far, very good outcome.

Can we give it to Jason, please.

I'm very optimistic.

Up to 85 per cent of the liver can be removed and it will grow back.

So, Dr Puhalla has left a big gap of healthy tissue

around each tumour, to make sure he's got it all.

Here we have clear section margins, here. There's probably 2cms.

There's more than enough.

At this stage, most people would suggest to give her

further chemotherapy after the surgery.

You right, Mum?

Another round of chemotherapy would be Jenny's third,

in less than two years.

Mum would like me to have it.

And my children would like me to have it.

And my friend Tony wants me to have it.

Like, they've said, they don't want to see me die.

No, I have to ring Mum between one and three.

It's just purely a preventative measure.

So, I could have this chemotherapy and then,

like what happened to me before, I could still get cancer.

Jenny's my only daughter, so, of course, she means a lot to me.

And she can't be replaced.

I really don't want to do it.

But... I don't want to make people upset, you know,

I don't wanna make my mum unhappy...

or my friends or...

Just draw on some inner strength and see where I come out.

And maybe I can beat it, by myself.

A few days later, Jenny made the brave decision

not to have chemotherapy.

(ROCK BEAT PLAYS)

Earlier today, Jordan was mowed down on his pushbike

by a four-wheel-drive.

He's got an open wound fracture on his ankle.

But, that's not what's bothering him right now.

Mum?

He's got to break the news to his mum back home in LA.

I'm really sorry.

I know you had a really rough day and tomorrow's gonna be

even rougher.

It's kind of serious.

I got hit by a car and... my ankle's broken.

I know. It couldn't have happened at a worse time.

Jordan was supposed to be flying out of the Gold Coast

in two days time to meet his family in Bali for a holiday.

Most likely, I'm getting screws in my ankle.

Which means, I won't be able to fly.

Yeah, but you guys should still go.

Just because this happened to me doesn't mean you guys

have to miss out on a vacation too.

Don't worry... Don't stress about this. Relax.

Have a good day.

Alright. Bye.

No one likes to upset their mum... but girlfriend Kenley

helps put things into perspective.

I was expecting the worst, cause I knew he wasn't wearing a helmet.

So, I'm just glad that it's not his head that was injured.

Because Jordan has an open wound fracture, he's off to surgery.

And, as doctors feared... he needs screws to stabilise

the bones in his ankle and a cast to keep it all in place.

So we'll just observe him for another 24 hours.

Keep him on IV anti biotics, then we'll see him early next week

in the clinic and have a look at the wound again

just to make sure that there's no infection.

He's not going to be weight-bearing on it

for the next six weeks, at least.

But, the good news is, a week later he's cleared to fly.

Hi! Hey.

Got you some balloons. Thank you.

How are you feeling? Feeling better.

That's good.

I'm super excited to see my family.

My brothers and my parents. Yeah.

Yeah.

We just have to be really careful that you don't get

your cast wet though. Yeah. I know, right.

On an island. I know.

(CHUCKLES)

And a family reunion turned out to be the best medicine possible.