A Human Deadline

We were in the doctor's office and it sounded like something out of a B Grade movie when I said: 'Give it to me straight... how long have I got?'

He'd just told me I had cancer, compounded by advanced cirrhosis of the liver. The doctor's reply: 'Twelve months'. There was a chance I could live longer if I could get a rare liver transplant but there were hurdles to get over just to get on The List. I knew that, at any time, there are about 2000 Australians waiting for organ donors to save their lives. And 20% die waiting.

To complicate things, I was fighting another battle. This one in the courts where I faced a jail sentence for a 'Name Them, Shame Them' campaign which climaxed when I named two serial sex offenders whose identities had been suppressed.

A traumatic eight months after making The List, I received a new liver and a new life. Two weeks after surgery I limped into court to be sentenced to five months under house arrest. There were also allegations I had 'jumped the queue' and didn't deserve an organ transplant because I'd been a drinker.

In this book, I try to honestly answer all those questions and more. One thing's for sure: It was a helluva year.

Derryn Hinch.