LAUNCESTON man Scott Atkins has been given the gift of life, just in time for Christmas.
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Mr Atkins, 30, is at The Alfred Hospital, in Melbourne, recovering after recently receiving a double lung transplant.
Mr Atkins lives with cystic fibrosis - a chronic illness that affects a number of organs in the body, especially the lungs and pancreas, by clogging them with thick, sticky mucus.
His health started severely deteriorating late last year and he was put on the priority list for a lung transplant.
A recent call at 8.30am informed Mr Atkins that his life was about to be saved.
Mr Atkins and his fiancee Hayley Close, who is a registered nurse, flew from Launceston to Melbourne following the call and by midnight, Mr Atkins had new lungs.
‘‘He was off ventilation and breathing on his own the next day at 12pm,’’ Miss Close said.
Miss Close said the couple were excited about their future possibilities following the transplant.
‘‘With less time in hospital, doing treatments or worrying about Scott being sick, we can go traveling more and do things most people don’t think twice about, like riding a bike, or walking up a hill,’’ she said.
‘‘Scott is really excited about getting back into work with Jesse [his LUSY Productions business partner] and I’ll finally be able to focus on my nursing career.’’
The new lungs do not mean Mr Atkins is cured of cystic fibrosis.
‘‘After transplant, problems of the pancreas, sweat glands, upper respiratory tract [sinuses] and reproductive tract persist,’’ Miss Close said.
‘‘[And] now we have a heap of new worries such as rejection, or the fact he will now be on
immunosuppressant and can easily become unwell.
‘‘Although, without the transplant Scott’s future health prospects were looking very grim.
‘‘His decline had such an effect on his quality of life and we can’t express the importance of becoming an organ donor, it literally saved his life.’’
DonateLife Tasmania executive officer Davin Hibberd said the transplant would not have been possible if an anonymous donor family somewhere in Australia had not have said yes to organ and tissue donation.
‘‘It’s this generous act of humanity that is often traced back to an individual’s organ and tissue donor registration decision and family discussion that has the potential to save so many lives,’’ Mr Hibberd said.
Mr Atkins will continue to undergo physiotherapy for the next few months, with the couple hoping to return to Tasmania by mid-March.
‘‘It can’t come soon enough ... we already miss our family and friends,’’ Miss Close said.
A crowdfunding campaign by 13-year-old friend Jack Beatty raised more than $24,000 for Mr Atkins three months ago.
For more information on becoming an organ or tissue donor visit donatelife.gov.au.