On 20.02.2022 Sarah was gifted a lung from a selfless donor. After being listed on the routine list in December 2019, urgently listed in October 2021, 19 weeks in hospital waiting,  4 offers and 4 rejections. This 5th offer was met with ‘it probably won’t happen’. Right up until half an hour before Sarah went to sleep, none of us would dare believe it might happen, or let ourselves think today, this could be the day, and this could be the lung.

I’ll never forget the moment when mum called to say Sarah’s transplant was going ahead. To also hear the words ‘this lung is more than ok, it’s perfect’ made the agonising wait seem suddenly worth it. A mixture of shock and gratitude that the lung had passed all of the tests, but also a great sense of fear that now there was real work to be done. A 9 hour operation, 4 days in sedation, one month in critical care and still going with post-op-recovery.

It is without a doubt a credit to my sister that she is surpassing recovery, physio, breathing on her and making her lung happy in its new body. 

But of course, we have to also thanks the incredible teams at Wythenshawe Transplant Centre, for the equipment that kept Sarah alive post-surgery and allowed her body to rest, to the 24/7 care from nurses and physiotherapists to monitor and be there for her every need, to the love and support shown by staff in these very testing and scary times. 

I am going to be doing various bits over the next year to raise both awareness of organ donor and to say my thanks to Wythenshawe Transplant Centre and New Start. Starting with a climb of Mt Snowden, running the Manchester Great North Run again in May and whatever else follows. 

I would like to raise any amount of donations to support New Start Charity. It is just a very small way I can even begin to show my thanks.