My name is Karla and I have now been on dialysis 17yrs and to be honest it’s not all bad. Dialysis tends to be my time for relaxing and watching TV because let’s face it, I can’t go anywhere. However what I do find hard is the prejudice from people that as a patient who has been on dialysis this long I am going to die. At this point I should mention I am 28.

Read more

Life for me changed suddenly in 2006. I never thought I would be writing or telling anyone that my body needs a new organ, or that my name is on the transplant waiting list. Everyday at the back of my mind I wonder if today I will get that phone call...... we have the gift of new life for you!

Read more...

My name is Carmen. I have interstitial nephritis (chronic kidney failure) caused by years of taking anti-inflammatory drugs to help with my rheumatoid arthritis.

Read more

This year the Transplant Games Association of New Zealand has a team of 25 athletes (4 juniors and 21 adults) and 25 supporters (including Team Physio and Team Manager) going to  the 17th World Transplant Games being held on the Gold Coast, Australia, 22-30th August. The competitors are unique in that each one of them is alive today as a result of their successful organ transplants. Our four junior team members are all liver transplant recipients and our adult athletes include bone marrow, heart, kidney, kidney pancreas, liver and lung recipients.

Read more

I have been lucky in life.  When the day came that my sister’s life was turned upside down by Kidney failure the decision for me was not a hard one. 

 It was 1994 my sister Kristen had returned to New Zealand to get married.  We had a lovely garden wedding at home and went to a restaurant for the reception.  It was here at the party Kristen told my mother that she felt dreadful and needed to go home to rest.  So here we were left at the wedding reception having a good celebration without the bride or groom.

Read more

I became aware of the importance of getting people to talk about organ donation 4 years ago. My crazy, lively, happy, 14 year old sun-being daughter went for a standard blood test and 5 days later my heart just ached as she lay pale, withdrawn in a fetal position in her darkened room, totally depressed. 

Read more

When I was 19 I was given the devastating news (whilst on a routine visit to my optometrist) that I had a condition called Keratoconus.

Read more

I am glad that I knew what Mel wanted, as I very possibly would’ve gone quite berserk when they asked us to donate. We were able to make the decision based on past discussions. It wasn’t something I ever thought we would have to face, but we were a family who had spoken about it, and knew what everyone wanted.
 

Read more

 Lara was a normal baby until she was diagnosed at 6 weeks old with Biliary Atresia (no bile ducts attached to her liver).

Read more

In 2005 I was walking to Uni in my jandals when I looked down and saw I had unusually puffy feet. I was in my final year of a Bachelor of Property degree and was quite busy but I thought 'look at those pudgy pinkies, maybe I should make time to go to the doctor'.

Read more

A very special angel came to me in 2008 and brought me new life.

Read more

My name is Scott, just over a week ago; I celebrated one of the biggest and happiest days of my life- my 21st birthday. It was amazing!!! I was surrounded by all my friends and family, laughing, dancing, singing and having a great time. This 21st was unlike any other. For me it was much more than the big 21 that everyone talks about. It was about reaching a milestone, a goal that I may not have reached, had I not received a very special gift-the gift of life.

Read more