After two  brushes with death and fading hope that she would ever be well again, the Flinders woman has two new lungs.

Her husband Lee says February 10 was the longest day of his life. He waited six hours to hear that his wife would make it to the recovery room. And he wants to remind people that being a donor really does save lives.

‘’Around 7.30pm that night, a single doctor walked into the waiting room and gave us the good news,’’ he said.

‘’The operation had been a success and Leah was doing very well. The feeling of relief hearing those words can't be expressed.’’

Leah suffered from Primary Pulmonary Hypertension, a rare lung condition that causes her pulmonary system to block, thus not allowing her blood to flow through properly. At age 27 she had been lying in a hospital bed for weeks and weeks waiting for her transplant.

‘’At first she was determined that it wasn't going to happen. She had two previous close calls. One of them, she got all the way to theatre before being told it wasn't a match,’’ Mr Sergeant said. 

‘’Due to her mental state from being stuck in hospital for so long, it really put a dent in her morale.

The day after the surgery Lee got to see his wife. ‘’We knew she had a long way to go but she was so determined. After two days they took her breathing tubes out.

‘’To see her take those first breaths on her own was something I will never forget.’’

Leah worked hard to get back on her feet and after just over a week she was released from the intensive care unit.

‘’One week after that they actually released her from hospital to go home for one week, where Leah got to go to her sisters wedding. Seeing her there, smiling and laughing I knew, I had my wife back.’’

Two months on, and Mr Sergeant said Leah was doing great. ‘’We still have to attend hospital four times a week for rehab and physiotherapy but Leah is getting stronger by the day.

‘’Her outlook on life is better than ever thanks to the generous gift that a stranger has given her. We may never find out who her donor was but she is always grateful that she has been given a second chance at life.’’

Mr Sergeant thanked everyone who donated to Leah's Go Fund Me campaign which raised $21,000.

‘’We can't express our gratitude to the family, friends and community that rallied around us. Without that support, none of this would have been possible. Please always remember that the choices you make now, can save lives even after you’re gone. Being a donor is so important. Without it, Leah's life would have turned out very different.’’