"I remember feeling free and alive" – women share their experiences of getting another chance with a transplant

Organ donation saves lives. Whether the organ came from somebody who's recently died or from a living donor, transplantation has saved over 100,000 lives in the UK alone.

Here, we speak to two women who have had their lives transformed by transplants.

I donated part of my liver to my daughter

Denise Young, 62, saved her daughter Kelly’s life by donating part of her liver for a transplant. Denise, a teaching assistant, lives with her husband, David, 68.

"In all the excitement of bringing our baby daughter Kelly home, my husband David and I didn’t notice anything of concern. We introduced her to her brother Ryan, then 18 months, and settled into family life," begins Denise.

"But when Kelly was six weeks old, the health visitor spotted yellowing in her eyes. After numerous tests, Kelly was referred to King’s College Hospital in London, where she was diagnosed with biliary atresia, a rare disease of the liver and bile ducts.

"As Kelly’s bile ducts weren’t working, her liver was being poisoned. After a failed operation at 10 weeks old, she was put on the transplant list. Despite our complete faith in Kelly’s medical team, we felt very afraid. A child on Kelly’s ward had become the first child recipient of a living liver transplant, so David and I asked to be tested as potential donors.

"We had lots of assessments, including a psychological test to ensure we knew the risks. Incredibly, we were both compatible, but as David was the breadwinner, we decided I should be the donor."

"I’m proud to say Kelly has lived an incredible life. She’s a competitive swimmer and has won more than 200 medals. She has represented King’s College Hospital at the British Transplant Games since 2002, and Team GB at the World Transplant Games since 2007.

"Always a fighter, she was determined to be a swimming teacher, despite her consultant suggesting spending all day in a pool surrounded by children was not the best for her immune system! Her glass is always half full, and I feel extremely privileged and lucky to have had the opportunity to save her life."

Kelly says: "What Mum did has always made me feel we share a special bond. I am extremely grateful that she was willing to put her own life at risk to save mine. Thank you, Mum!"

I received a double lung transplant

Vicky Pettersen, 54, had a double lung transplant aged 28. She lives with her husband, Erik, 53.

"I was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis (CF) when I was three. In the 1970s, it was relatively unknown, and though I couldn’t keep milk down and had watery stools as a baby, newborns weren’t tested as they are now," Vicky says.

"CF is a genetic disorder that causes thick mucus in the lungs and digestive system. My parents were warned that I might not live beyond my teens.

"At the age of 11, my dad, Stan, explained to me that one day, I might need a double lung transplant to extend my life. He framed it as something to be grateful for, not to fear – I have always appreciated his optimism.

"I hated percussion, when my parents had to drum on my back to loosen the mucus, so from the age of 11, Dad said I could run instead to keep my lungs clear – the NHS recommends physical activity to help with this.

"When I was 16, I met Erik, now my husband, through mutual friends, and a year later, we ran the Great North Run together, non-stop.

"At 17, my lungs suddenly worsened and I was hospitalised for the first time. After that, recurring infections caused my health to deteriorate rapidly. Erik and I married two years later, aware our life together might be short.

"By 21, I was put on the transplant list. Breathing consumed so much energy that I plummeted to 6st 7lb and needed a feeding tube to pump 2,500 calories into my stomach overnight."

"Thanks to Dr Conway, a pioneering specialist at Leeds Adult CF Unit, who put me on a better treatment plan, I was taken off the transplant list.

"Our miracle son, Antony, was born when I was 23, but, by the time he was five, I was on full-time oxygen and permanent intravenous medication.

"I had no quality of life and I felt death closing in.

"I was put on the transplant list again and, four months later, I received the call.

"I went into surgery around midnight at the Freeman Hospital in Newcastle. By 5pm the next day, I was off ventilation, and two days later, I was on an exercise bike.

"I only knew my donor’s age and cause of death. In her death, she and her family had chosen to give life – there is no greater gift. I wrote her family a letter so they knew what it meant to me."

"Double lung transplants were new back then and the expectation was to live another five years. I wanted to breathe without pain and be with my family. Two weeks after surgery, we took Antony to a wildlife park and I remember running alongside him, feeling free and alive.

"25 years on, no milestone goes by without gratitude. I work hard to stay well. I live with arthritis, diabetes, kidney damage and a blood disorder, and have a strict regimen of medication.

"Antony, now 31, married his lovely wife Emily and made me Grandma to three-year-old Rory. I never dared dream of being a grandparent. It was something Erik thought he’d experience alone.

"People often dread ageing, but I feel lucky. I love picnics by the sea and gardening. I don’t need wealth or travel. My transplant allowed Erik to have a wife and Antony to have a mother. I will always be grateful for every bonus day I live."