NANAIMO, B.C. -- Ladysmith resident Jackie Bates wouldn’t have made it to Christmas this year if not for the double lung transplant she received over the summer. Now, she’s encouraging people to register as organ donors so more people in her situation have a chance at life.
The 28-year-old has cystic fibrosis, a genetic condition affecting the lungs. She describes it as slowly drowning.
“Your lungs slowly fill with a very thick mucus that you cannot remove,” she said.
She had less than 20 per cent lung function before her transplant, and doctors gave her only a few months to live without the new lungs.
Christmas ended up coming early for the Bates family. In July, Jackie and her family got the phone call that they will never forget, and her dad broke the news to her and her mom.
“I thought my dad was pranking me,” Jackie recalled.
“He just blurted out, ‘It’s happening. She’s getting her transplant,’” added Jody Bates, Jackie’s mom.
The Bates family rushed to Vancouver General Hospital, where Jackie received her new lungs.
“Best Christmas ever. We really didn’t think we would have her this year,” said Jody.
Five months later, Jackie is back home and feels like a completely different person.
“There’s absolutely no struggles for me to breathe,” she said. “I can run after my nephew, I can laugh without coughing to the point of almost passing out.”
Jackie’s Christmas wish is for more people to consider registering to be organ donors.
“What people take for granted, I get to finally experience and I wish more people could as well,” she said.
According to BC Transplant, more than 1.5 million people are registered in B.C.’s Organ Donor Registry.
As Dec. 1, there had been 408 transplants in B.C. in 2020, including 51 lung transplants.
For more information about registering, visit the BC Transplant website.
