Marlene first got sick with kidney dysfunction after she had her twin girls Rachel and Lisa. By the time they turned 12, Marlene's failing kidneys meant immediate dialysis - four hours a day. The family’s time together suddenly shrank.

A few months later Marlene was away in hospital when Martin had a stroke. It was weeks before things got back to normal. Martin at home looking after the girls and Marlene on dialysis four hours a day.

At 11.30 one night Marlene's doctor called, “We have a kidney here for you. Please be at the hospital by 8 o'clock tomorrow morning.” The girls cried with their Mum. Rachel said to everyone, “It's really happening, I can't believe it.”

The family had planned for this moment - the girls went to a friend's and Martin took Marlene to hospital. A few days later it was the girls birthday. Finally Marlene was on the phone, “Happy birthday, the operation went well and I should be home in a few months.” The girls were over the moon and it wouldn’t be that long until they could see their Mum again.

When Marlene came home they all started a new life. Marlene was healthy again, the girls were in upper primary school and Martin was on the road to recovery - healthier because he wasn't so worried about his wife.

The girls tell this story to all their friends and say,  “We're so glad and proud that we still have a Mum. We don’t know what we would do without her!”

The girls mean every single word, they adore their life, taking every day as it comes and they appreciate their parents for what they have been through.

Moral of the story: stand strong with your family through anything and never give up, happiness is waiting just around the corner.

Rachel