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Kate Goble - Lungs for Life

Thanks to the generosity of a donor family, Kate was given a second chance at life.

As I clock up almost 6 years of good health, now aged 45 years, I am drawn back to 5 June 2000 when I was given a second chance at life.

It was Sunday 4 June at 8pm when the phone rang. It was the Transplant Co-ordinator from St Vincent's Hospital in Darlinghurst to say a compatible donor had been found and could I come to the hospital as soon as possible for a new set of lungs.

Why did I need a double lung transplant? I was born with a genetic condition known as Cystic Fibrosis (CF), which primarily affects the lungs and digestive system. Both my parents were carriers of the gene and my brother, James and I, were born with the condition. Back in the late 50s not much was known about CF and the treatment and outlook for children with CF at that stage was not very positive, unlike today.

In my childhood and adolescent years, CF was not a major problem for me. But James, who was two years older than me, was often sick. He died when he was 14.

As the years went by I finished high school and the cough became more productive, but was manageable with physiotherapy, nebulisation and at times, intravenous antibiotics. In my late 20s I completed a Bachelor of Education and assisted my health with swimming. In my 30s, my need for intravenous antibiotics and physiotherapy began to increase.

Eventually, when I was 40, it was suggested I be accessed for a double lung transplant and I set about undergoing the medical tests for the operation through RPA and St Vincent’s Hospitals.

So, on 5 June I found myself in the Accident and Emergency Department. I was triaged, x-rayed and had blood tests. I was then seen by the anaesthetist and the surgeon and was wheeled off at about 2am.

My next memory is waking up in the early afternoon from surgery to find myself surrounded by beeps and covered in tubes. I wasn’t sure if I’d had the operation or just a good night’s sleep. This was the longest uninterrupted sleep I’d had in 10 years! What a feeling to wake up and realise what had happened! My exhausted family then went home for some well-earned rest. After a night in critical care, I was moved to a ward.
The Transplant was a challenging experience but I had wonderful family and friends to support me. I was discharged after nine days and followed a strict regime of medication and began to exercise my way back to good health. I went to hospital several times a week for blood tests, x-rays and lung function tests, as well as appointments with the physicians.

Looking back, I was very calm when the life changing phone call came, as I had crossed all my bridges and worried about things before I was accepted onto the transplant list. I think I was probably filled with adrenaline and excitement at the possibilities of a better quality of life and realised it would be better for all concerned to remain calm.

What a terrific feeling to sleep without oxygen, not cough or have to do hours of chest physiotherapy. I am leading a very full life of teaching, socialising, camping and exercising and am always looking for new challenges.

Things have gone very well and I will always appreciate how lucky and fortunate I am to have had a transplant.

A day doesn’t go by where I don’t thank the donor family for their wonderful, generous gift and feel for their situation, the skill of the Transplant Team for giving me a second chance and my ever devoted parents, Annette and John, and my wonderful partner Neil.