Grateful father of three receives new lung

“It’s unimaginable that somebody has done that, it’s a magnificent act of kindness, knowing that they are helping someone else when the chips are down for them, it’s incredible,” Mike said.

Prior to his transplant, the 66-year-old was in lung failure and his health was spiralling.

But when Mike was put on the transplant list, he felt a sense of hope, though he knew there was no guarantee a donor would become available.

“If I hadn’t been approved for the list, that was it, death, simple as that,” Mike said.

His wife Sue watched as her husband deteriorated.

“Time was definitely running out, it came at just the right time,” she said.

When Mike received the call say a lung was available and he was a match, he was in shock.

“I got the phone call at 3:30 in the morning (to come to The Alfred for transplant),” Mike said.

“It was the shock of the call, happiness of the call and then the scary bit that everything has changed – it’s changed from being life or death to, if everything goes ok, reprieve.”

There is a long road to recovery now for Mike, who aims to get back to the business he runs with two of his sons. He hopes his story encourages Australians to think about registering as an organ donor.

“To be a donor, you have to be so brave because you are thinking of others when you have a crisis,” Mike said.

“We are eternally grateful to the donor, I’m sorry that their loss is our gain,” Sue said.

This week, Donate Life Week, consider becoming an organ donor and join the Australian Organ Donor Register https://donatelife.gov.au/register-donor-today