FORTY one year-old Alana Smyth underwent a lifesaving lung transplant operation just nine weeks ago.
Although the Ballynahinch woman is still in the early stages of recovery, she says she feels so grateful for her new chance at life that she wants to do whatever she can to promote organ donation.
Alana says she is able to look forward to the future once again thanks to her teenage donor and in return she hopes to encourage as many people as possible to put their name on the donor register.
She explains she had enjoyed a normal life, spending time with family and friends and working in a fulfilling role, until she experienced the first symptoms of lung disease less than two years ago.
Within months she was becoming increasingly fatigued and breathless, eventually being diagnosed with rare pulmonary hypertension.
Housebound since November last year, Alana says that despite the escalation and severity of her symptoms she was so used to feeling sick that she did not realise how serious her situation had become.
Saying she was “willing to give anything a go” when a lung transplant was suggested, she admits she had no idea how imminent the operation would become. For when she travelled to England to be assessed for a potential transplant in March, doctors warned that her disease was so aggressive she may have just days or weeks to live and told her she was unfit to return home.
Alana was instead placed on a priority transplant list and put through risky pioneering treatment to keep her alive until lungs became available.
“I knew I had the condition for life but I kept thinking things would get better,” she said.
“I was blue but I could not see it although my friends and family could. I did not realise how sick I was.”
Within days, Alana had been whisked to theatre for the transplant. Soon after, her skin had turned from blue to pink as she was able to breathe unaided once again.
Although organ donation has saved her life, she frankly admits it is something she never really considered until her own health began to fail.
She said she had held a traditional donor card when younger but had never thought to upgrade to the online register.
The significance of available donors, however, became clear to her and her friends and family as her own condition deteriorated.
“I feel bad for my donor’s family because of their loss, but equally I am very grateful to them that I have been given a chance in life,” she said.
“Beforehand I would not have had much of an opinion. I would leave it up to the individual to decide what they wanted to do, but now I can fully appreciate the difference it can make to somebody’s life.
“I think everyone should do it. It should be a case of opting out rather than opting in.
“I am hesitant about telling my own personal story. The only reason I am doing it is to promote organ donation.
Alana says that the past two years have passed in a blur with her unable to fully digest everything that has happened.
Despite the whirlwind of events and emotions, she says her appreciation of her donor does not waver.
“My life was turned upside down but I do feel I am getting it back,” she says. “Every day and every week I see a difference. I feel great that I do not have to use oxygen and even though I still do not have a lot of energy I know that will come.
“There is so much I could not do and now I am looking forward to doing so much once I am back on my feet.
“I just really appreciate that I have been given another chance at life.”