I don't normally comment on old threads, but I did think of her the other day when I was walking past the heart and lung clinic at St Vincent's in Sydney. I wondered if she'd sat there with her parents, both before and after surgery, attending vital appointments, that would determine if she was going to live into adulthood.
There were 2 other transplants around the same time as her first one. I remember seeing the photo in the paper of the 3 of them in hospital. One man's name was Dino, can't remember who the other was. They were all younger people (the boys late teens early 20's from memory). It would be interesting to know if they are still alive.
Given Fiona's transplants were made so public, even with our strict laws around donation, the families who donated their loved ones organs would have a pretty good idea that it was her who got their heart. There were a lot less donors then than there are now, so it wouldn't have taken much to put 2 and 2 together.
It would have been devastating for the first family to hear of the rejection. Then for the second family to know she is still doing so well, it must be very gratifying. Reinforcing to them that they made the right choice to give consent.
Our donor numbers in Australia are increasing slowly, but we are way behind the rest of the world.
"Don't take your organs to heaven. Heaven knows we need them here"
"There is no greater gift, than the gift of life".
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