Lauren Goldsworthy had her bag packed, ready to take the call that would save her life. In the corner of her room, her hospital bag lay packed for six months.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
But when Miss Goldsworthy, from Wantabadgery, finally got the call telling her there were two lungs waiting for her in Sydney, she was too sick to feel emotion.
“I remember Mum coming in and saying ‘we’ve had a call’,” she said. “But to be honest, I was on too much pain relief to really know what was going on.”
It’s a jarring insight into how close the 23-year-old came to passing through death’s door. The scene was a world away from Miss Goldsworthy’s childhood, which was as normal as any other kid’s.
She had lived with cystic fibrosis – a condition that causes severe damage to the lungs – from birth.
When you die, there is no need to have your organs go underground with you.
- Lauren Goldsworthy
The life impact of her condition was so small that she never even told any of her friends she lived with it.
But the disease reared its ugly head in 2013 when it blew a hole in her lungs.
“I couldn’t breath properly,” Miss Goldsworthy said. “Nearly every month, I was in hospital for weeks at a time. I couldn’t do the things I loved to do.”
Miss Goldsworthy is now back to doing the things she loves to do – things like seeing her friends, spending time with family and working on the land with her Dad.
“I’ve had a good life. I’ve been able to do things I haven’t been able to do in years,” she said.
Miss Goldsworthy owes it to the generosity of an organ donor – a stranger.
She has shared her story in the hope more people register to become organ donors, with Australia having one of the lowest organ donor rates in the world.
It comes as the Rotary Club of Wagga shines a light on the issue, supported by The Daily Advertiser, to encourage local support. The club says it’s essential family members know the wishes of their loved ones because, ultimately, they have the final say on a transplant procedure.
“If people knew how (organ transplants) affect people, I think more people would sign up,” Miss Goldsworthy said. “It affects not just my life, but the people around me as well … you never really know how it benefits someone else until it happens. When you die, there is no need to have your organs go underground with you.”
- To register as an organ donor, visit donatelife.org.au