Laura - donor, VIC

Those who had the pleasure of knowing Laura admired her unwavering sense of positivity.

‘It was an extraordinary quality,’ says her mother, Kerri. ‘Especially in the face of a sudden and debilitating lung condition.’ 

Laura’s illness took her down a path she, nor her family, ever expected. She needed a lung transplant. It was a difficult few years, but in her usual way, Laura faced each day with optimism and an enormous smile.  

A year after she was placed on the waitlist, Laura received that special call. She packed a bag and headed to Melbourne. Her lung transplant was going ahead.    

Laura’s family meant everything to her. She was a devoted mother to 2 beautiful children, wife to a loving husband, adored sister, and a daughter to parents who cherished her. They were devastated when Laura experienced complications after surgery, and were told she wouldn’t survive.  

Amid their grief and shock, Laura’s family discussed donating her organs. A donor and their family had generously given Laura a chance, and now Laura’s family would do the same.   

‘It was an easy decision to make,’ says Kerri. ‘She was so in awe about being a transplant recipient. She was also a registered organ donor, as is our whole family, so we knew what she wanted.’ 

‘It’s devastating that it wasn’t her time. In my grief, however, I really do appreciate what another family gave Laura. They did give her a chance – and Laura was able to pass that chance onto several other people as well.’ 

Laura’s loving family, friends, colleagues, students, and the regional community that “smothered her in love,” will always remember and celebrate her generosity and kind-heartedness.  

‘It’s an incredible feeling to know that so many people thought so much of our daughter. It’s a privilege to know that she was so loved.’ 

Kerri added, ‘I also know she’d be extremely pleased, looking down, knowing she has helped other people.’