A lung transplant is the only option for a North-West woman or she will die too young with a number of bucket list items left unchecked.
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Lisa Wardle feels like her "life is in limbo" while she waits for the phone call to fly to Melbourne for the life-changing surgery.
"It is either get a transplant or I will die," she said.
"I still think I might die before I get a match, but you can't think like that a lot of the time.
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"I know everybody dies, but I will die quickly because with the illness that I have got if I have a deterioration they don't know how quickly it will happen.
"I was stable for three years and then I deteriorated and if that happens again the likelihood of me making another year is scary, so the quicker it happens the better."
Since being listed for a transplant in April, Mrs Wardle and her husband David have had to stay within an hour of their home and have their phones on hand in case they get the call.
"It will be life changing when she gets it," David said.
"She was very conscious when she started wearing the oxygen and even now we go out shopping later at night when it is not so crowded and kids aren't there asking, 'Why you have got it on your face?'."
The couple have lived in Tasmania for five years but Mrs Wardle hasn't had the chance to discover the state's famous waterfalls, having to stay in the car and see the photos instead.
"I think it [a transplant] will give me a new life," she said.
I would love to ride a horse on the beach. I used to ride horses, but I had to give it up. Maybe one day I will again.
Mrs Wardle is so unwell she struggles to do day to day tasks. She said she would never take being able to clean the house for granted again.
"I am very independent. It was very hard for me to accept that David has to do a lot of things for me and I had to have a house cleaner come once a week," she said.
'EVERYDAY IS A BONUS'
Kerry Masters of Penguin was in Mrs Wardle's position 11 years ago.
"You can't bend down and put your socks on, you can't shower yourself or dress yourself," he said.
"In the end I had had enough, but I was still hopeful."
After 13 months of "sitting around and not living", he received his new set of lungs.
"When I first woke up after having it I could breathe," he said. "It was unbelievable."
Today, Mr Masters umpires for the NWFL and cricket and cherishes spending time with his grandchildren, who he wouldn't have met if it weren't for the transplant.
"I don't reckon I would have lasted another fortnight if I didn't have it," he said.
"I said to the kids, 'Don't worry about buying me any Easter eggs because I won't be here to eat them' and then out of the blue I got the call.
"It is not all roses but I have got another 11 years.
"They have started rejection and that is being treated, but I am lucky because most people get that after about seven years.
"Everyday is a bonus. I do volunteer work for meals on wheels and at the information centre."
Since receiving his transplant Mr Masters has presented to community groups and is vocal about the importance of registering as a donor and having a conversation about it with family and friends.
"Don't take your organs to heaven, leave them here," he said. "They are no good to you in the ground."
Mr Masters is always thinking of his donor.
"You get mixed feeling about it," he said. "Unfortunately someone has to die, but people die every day. You think about it everyday, and I guess I always will."
THE GREAT DONATION RACE
The number of Australians registering to be donors and the number of transplants undertaken took a hit last year on account of COVID-19.
DonateLife Tasmania Executive Officer Davin Hibberd said were aiming to have 1000,000 people register as donors during DonateLife week from July 25 to August 1 to help limit the impact of last year.
"In 2020, the COVID pandemic had a direct impact on donation and transplantation outcomes for Australians," he said.
"There was a 16 per cent decrease in the number of donors and a 12 per cent decrease in the number of people receiving a transplant compared to 2019.
"We are trying this year to recover as much lost ground as we can. Because of those drops in rates of donation and rates of transplantation there are more people waiting for a transplant.
"Last year about 1650 people were waiting but now there are 1800 people on the waitlist for a transplant for organs, heart, lungs, kidney and pancreas.
"In addition to 1800 people there are 12,000 people that are on dialysis that could benefit from a transplant.
"This means it's never been more important to encourage people to register as an organ and tissue donor, and to talk to their family about donation."
To covey the importance of getting more Australians to register, this year's DonateLife week is being known as the great registration race.
"We really need the community to step up and answer the call," Mr Hibberd said. "A lot of people think they registered but they are not so we want those people to check."
Mr Hibberd said almost 50 per cent of people over 16 years-old in Tasmania were registered as donors which is the second highest registration rate in the country behind South Australia.
"While that is good and significantly above the national average of 38 per cent that are registered I think we can improve that even more," he said.
"At end of life a person can go on to save six or seven lives.
"A transplant doesn't only save a life it can give you another 10 years of life."
To register as a organ and tissue donor visit the DonateLife website.
"Registering is easy and only takes one minute. All you need is your Medicare card," Mr Hibberd said.