Caz's Story

My story didn’t end with my transplant. In fact, it was just the beginning of a much longer journey. My body rejected my new lungs four times in those first few months. It was an emotional rollercoaster of anxiety, hope and fear. Each time I worried I’d lose the second chance I’d been given. But thanks to research I made it through those setbacks and returned home — and to work — just five months later.

It’s because of research that complications like rejection, once so hard to manage, are now better treated. Today, steroids help control the body’s immune response giving people like me a fighting chance to keep their new lungs.

But lung research is underfunded and too many Western Australians with life-threatening lung disease don’t get the second chance I was given.

My journey is also about a unique bond with my donor’s family — a young mother named Natalie who sadly passed away during her third pregnancy. Despite the usually anonymous nature of organ donation, I eventually met Natalie’s family and I’m now the godmother of her daughter Jayde who turned 29 this year.

Natalie’s three kids once told me, “You’re special — you have mummy’s lungs.” I think about this every day and feel deeply grateful for the gift I was given.

But while organ donation gave me the gift of life it’s research that made it possible for me to survive and live my life to the full. Without the research that has improved lung transplant techniques and post-transplant care people like me wouldn’t be here today. Organ donation is the most generous selfless act but research is what turns that gift into a second chance.

On Thursday 21 November I celebrated 30 years since my transplant surrounded by 35 of my closest friends and family in Bali. It’s a celebration that no one could have imagined back in 1994 — one made possible by both research and the incredible generosity of Natalie’s family.

When I received my second chance, I knew I wanted to do whatever I could to give back. I started volunteering with Cystic Fibrosis WA to support others living with CF and over the years I’ve tried to help out wherever I’m needed. I’ve also been involved with groups like Cystic Fibrosis Australia and the Lung Transplant Foundation. It’s been a privilege to mentor other patients who have been assessed for a lung transplant. I just want to support others who are facing the same battles I did.

But none of this would have been possible without the research that made my pre- and post-transplant care a success. Yet respiratory research remains underfunded. So many people across Western Australia are living with lung disease waiting and hoping for a second chance at life.

Thank you for reading my story. Decades of research have improved the techniques for lung transplants making them safer and more effective. New anti-rejection treatments and advancements in regenerative medicine and organ preservation are helping patients live longer healthier lives.

While organ donation gave me the gift of life it’s research that made it all possible. Without the breakthroughs from early trials and the lessons learned from the first lung transplants people like me wouldn’t survive. Research has paved the way for life-saving procedures and continues to improve how we recover and thrive.

Best wishes,

Caz

PS. We know this is a difficult time for many. Thank you for whatever you are able to give.