– By Beth Hendry-Yim
NANAIMO – If Allan Mah hadn’t gone to the hospital when he did, he might not have made it. The doctors told him that if he had waited even two more hours, he would have been too far gone, there would have been nothing they could do to save him.
As it was they only gave him a less than 50/50 chance of surviving because his body was septic from a ruptured esophagus which led to kidney failure and the resulting overload of toxins. He was a very sick man and in that moment his life changed dramatically.
Today, standing under a life-size cardboard cut-out of Batman, surrounded by all manner of toys old and new, Allan Mah does not look his age, maybe 20 something, even early 30’s, but not 40. And he doesn’t look like he has faced down death either.
He claims his youthful appearance is because of genetics, that he’s always looked younger than his age. But step into his shop, Center Court Collectables, and listen to him speak to his young customers about superheros and Pokemon and the WWF and you’ll meet a man whose age is irrelevant. What stands out is his brazen love of life and a youthful drive to embrace it all.
“We all dream of having a super power,” he said. “We’re never too old to want that or to imagine we have one.”
But Mah’s super power didn’t reveal itself right away, not until he needed it. And three years ago, he really needed it.
A Rebar Foreman at a local plant yard, Mah believed that doing his job well and bringing home a paycheque was how you made ends meet and that that was what he was supposed to do.
“You got a job and you get it done,” he said. “That’s how I was raised.”
But, with two children and a mortgage to pay, Mah took that belief to the extreme, working hard, building his family’s future, not taking holidays so he could work more, not getting the proper sleep, and pushing himself to get the bills paid on time. Until he got sick. Really sick.
“My kidneys started failing and I began feeling nauseous, weak, and vomited non-stop,” he explained. “The doctors felt it was damage caused by high blood pressure that I didn’t even know I had. I ignored how I felt as long as I could, but by the time I went to see the doctor, my kidneys were damaged and my esophagus was in bad shape. The violent vomiting caused a hernia. My stomach came out of its sack and got caught up in my intestine causing a chunk of my stomach to die off. To repair it, the doctor had to remove a piece of my stomach.
Three major surgeries later and he survived it all. And that’s his superpower, staying alive, bucking the odds and maintaining a positive and upbeat outlook, even in the face of what could be an overwhelming prognosis. He’s almost died several times. During the surgeries and before and after, his survival was questioned and now he faces dialysis three times a week because his kidneys shut down.
But he’s still standing, with a smile on his face and a determination to win that rivals Superman, the Hulk and all the X-Men put together.
“I’ve had a lot of support from friends and family,” he said. “My mom, Georgina Mah, has been phenomenal, helping me get the store going and always being ready and willing to cook up my favourite comfort foods.”
It has been life changing for Mah, on more than one level. But he focuses on what he’s gained through this, not what he’s lost.
“It might have been the medication or the strong emotion of actually being awake, but in the ICU, after the surgery, I had a powerful moment of clarity and understanding that life is short and that I needed to live it right now, that the only one holding me back was me.”
Listen to him speak and you realize that Mah’s story really begins, not with the trauma his body experienced, but afterwards, when he decided to pursue a dream of sharing his passion for toy collectibles and then to raise awareness of organ donation and the struggle people living with kidney failure face every day.
Last year, with the financial support and help of his mom and friends, he opened his store.
“It’s basically a glorified toy store,” he chuckles. “I’m basically a kid at heart and am doing what I’ve always wanted to. I took a chance and now every day I am happy to come to work.”
A toy, collector card and Pokemon fan for years, he’s lined the store walls with vintage action heroes from obscure and well-known movies and TV series, timeless Lego sets, boxed games and current favourites like fidget spinners and booster boxes.
Posters, t-shirts, games and more fill the shelves, immersing visitors in memories of the 70’s, 80’s and 90’s and attracting an eclectic and varied demographic from young WWF fans to those trading-card aficionados looking for a missing piece to finish off their collection.
“Looking back, I see that it was very easy for me to get comfortable in what I was doing, into a routine of work, mostly because I was afraid of failing. But what would have happened if I didn’t make it? It would have been too late for regrets, for those things I should have, could have and would have done.”
Life on dialysis is not easy. It can take up to five hours to artificially clean out the system of accumulated toxins that healthy kidneys normally break down and flush out. His mom watches the store while he’s at the hospital. At times he feels good afterwards, with more energy, but he tires easily and is getting to know his limitations.
“I’ve had a lot of people help me along the way,” he said. “Ones I met in the store and people I met during dialysis treatments. Chris Konefall, from Mount Benson Mechanical and John Wilson from Jolly Giant Day Care have become brothers for life. I’ve barely known them for a year, but they’ve done more in the way of support than I could have imagined. They come to the store weekly to see how things are going; they’ve paid for a newspaper ad for me, and when they heard my car broke down, they found one for me to use.”
Asking or getting help isn’t easy for Mah. It’s another lesson he’s had to learn.
“No one wants to ask for help. But one of the best things anyone can do is to ask for it when they need it because sometimes life just gets overwhelming.”
He’s seen that attitude a lot in the kidney dialysis unit – people not wanting to ask. It’s part of the fundraising campaign he’s launched.
“I see seniors in the unit on fixed incomes who are very fragile but don’t want to ask for help. They may miss a meal so they can pay for a ride to get to the hospital for treatment, or try to stretch out their medication because they can’t afford to buy more,” he said.
“These people need help, but their pride can prevent them from taking money, so I’m looking to collect unused gift cards that can be casually given to these people. Cards that people aren’t going to use like those for WalMart or grocery stores. I want to be the voice that asks when others in need won’t.”
Mah is also putting out a challenge to his friends in the Slow Pitch community at McGirr Sports Complex encouraging them to dedicate one dollar a week to this cause. Monies raised will be converted to gift cards from grocery stores, pharmacies and gas stations. He will create donation boxes or envelopes for the store or will pick them up.
Although Mah’s goodwill goal is to raise funds, his most important job is to raise awareness of organ donation.
“A living organ donation can reduce the wait time for patients in need of a life-saving kidney or liver,” he said. “Most people don’t realize that they can live a normal life with only one kidney and saving a life can be the ultimate high.”
For Mah, his wait has an added challenge. He has a rare blood type that allows him to be a universal donor but a rare match for a donated kidney. He remains optimistic however. After all he’s made it this far and plans on making it farther. He’s staying focused on the present, working at making a difference, spreading the goodwill bug, enjoying his work and drawing on his superpowers as needed.
Centre Court Collectables at 147 4750 Rutherford Road in the North Town Centre, Nanaimo.