Simone - heart and double lung recipient, NSW

woman standing in front of a snowy mountain. She's wearing a coat zipped up to her chin, a pink headband and is holding skiing poles.
Words can’t express how grateful I am to that donor. They gave me nothing short of a second life.

Simone was born with cystic fibrosis, a rare genetic disorder that affects the lungs. She was racked by coughing fits that would wake her up in the night, due to mucus building up in her lungs. By the age of 22, the disorder was so crippling she was given just a month to live. 

‘I will never forget the call that changed my life,’ says Simone. That 3am phone call told her a donor matching her perfectly had been found. 

Thanks to the generosity of the donor and their family who said yes to donation, Simone was given a second chance at life. She received a heart and double-lung transplant. 

Growing up, Simone never imagined the long and full life she would go on to live, thanks to her donor. In the decades since her transplant, Simone has married, raised 2 children, held down a successful career, and pursued her love of skiing. 

It took Simone almost a year to recover completely from the transplant, but the effects have been long-lasting. She worked hard to get fit immediately following her operation. After 3 months of intense physiotherapy, she hit the slopes on her skis. She has pursued her love for the sport ever since. 

‘Being so close to death gives you such a profound appreciation of how lucky we are to be alive, to be able to walk and swim and ski and love and be with family and friends and travel and work. Everything else becomes so trivial by comparison. Words can’t express how grateful I am to that donor. They gave me nothing short of a second life.’ 

We want all Australians to talk about organ and tissue donation. If you want to be a donor, make sure you tell your family and friends.

Registering is easy and only takes one minute. All you need is your phone, Medicare card and one minute to register.

It doesn’t matter how old you are, your medical history, your lifestyle, what country you’re from or how healthy you are — you can still register as an organ and tissue donor.

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