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Hi, my name is James and I am 20 years old. Just being able to say that is an achievement in itself. When I was 11 years old, I was diagnosed with pulmonary hypertension after collapsing during a game of football with my mates at school. After months of trials with medication, the doctors told… - Story
Our Mum has always been a remarkable woman who endured a life of hardship and torment, whilst teaching us six kids to be honest caring and empathetic toward all others. She was always such a hard working person, struggling to raise us on little to no money. When we had visitors and resources… - Story
I was working as a regional donor coordinator for four years when my dad was diagnosed with end stage kidney failure secondary to undiagnosed cardiomyopathy. My dad was a farmer and was used to working 15 hours a day. To see him on dialysis and the restrictions to his life, gave me new found… - Story
Our story begins when Paul was nearly 19 years old. He was a big strapping fellow, just starting out in life.He and his cousin travelled to Stuarts Point to visit their grandfather and to look for work. I received a phone call from Paul who said he couldn't see properly and his vision was blurry.… - Story
My name is Gail. I received my first corneal transplant in 2010 at the age of 56 and my second in 2014. My vision gradually deteriorated over 30 years from the degenerative condition Fuchs’ Corneal Dystrophy. Your sight can be compared to looking through a dirty window or waxed paper… - Story
One weekend my youngest son Gary, who was 15 at the time, was unwell. He'd had a headache all weekend and the pain-relieving medication I'd given him wasn't helping at all. On the Sunday afternoon just as I was leaving for work, he told me that his 'wee' was a red colour. I asked him to collect a… - Story
Being told that I had liver disease and needed a liver transplant came as a relief, as finally someone had told us why I kept getting crook and being admitted to hospital all the time. After an initial work up at the Austin Hospital we were placed on the transplant waiting list with no… - Story
In November two significant things are happening. I turn 50, and it is the fifth anniversary of my kidney transplant. I am acknowledging these special events by writing my story for the DonateLife Book of Life. At 33 I was unexpectedly diagnosed with renal disease. I was a working woman, a… - Story
My first corneal graft occurred in the late eighties after being diagnosed with Kerataconus. The difference in my eye sight was remarkable. Things don't last forever though and in the past few years I had noticed that my eye sight was deteriorating again or worse. My original… - Story
My name is Gemma and I was diagnosed with Cystic Fibrosis when I was three weeks old. I remained quite healthy throughout my childhood, with parents Malcolm and Wendy always encouraging me and having fun with my older sister Natalie. When I was 11 years old, blood tests showed my liver…