Albion Park woman Caitlin McKay owes her life to two organ donors, and is paying tribute to all the families who "donate in the face of heartache" ahead of DonateLife Week.
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The 30-year-old was diagnosed with Medullary Cystic Disease - a kidney disorder that leads to end-stage renal disease - at just 10 months old. At 12, her kidneys started to fail.
She was put on dialysis - and the organ donation waiting list. However when the long-awaited call came in 2004, when she was 15, she couldn't quite believe it.
When a person hasn't registered, or had that conversation with their family, then it's very hard for them to make that decision at such an emotional time.
"I actually hung up on my specialist twice because it was early in the morning, I was half asleep, and I just thought it was a joke," Ms McKay said.
"But my specialist rang my parents who quickly got me to the hospital. That first transplant went well - I woke up after surgery and immediately felt the difference.
"Dialysis had left me feeling nauseous and lethargic - but I woke up with more energy than I'd had for a long time."
Unfortunately, three years later Ms McKay's body rejected the new kidney and she was forced back on dialysis - and the waiting list. Then in 2014, the call came again.
"I just dropped to my knees and started crying when I heard," she said. "And the second surgery has again been life-changing and amazing.
"I've called my new kidney Boris - and Boris has just been a trooper over the past five years. I've had a number of infections and Boris has just kept on kicking."
DonateLife Week kicks off on July 28, and Australians are being urged to join the Australian Organ Donor Register - and give hope to the 1400 people currently waiting for an organ or tissue transplant.
In the last 10 years, more than 11,000 Australians have had their lives saved or transformed as a result of an organ transplant.
People like Ms McKay, who's now studying nursing at the University of Wollongong - to give back to the medical profession which helped her.
"For those on the list, I'd say 'never give up hope'. There's days when you think your turn is never going to come, but it can and it will," she said.
"To the family members of donors, I can't thank you enough for giving people like me my life back.
"It's such a selfless thing to donate in the face of heartache."
Illawarra Shoalhaven Local Health District donation specialist nurse Miriam Nonu encouraged families to discuss their wishes around organ donation.
"In Australia families will always be asked to consent to donation. When they know their loved one's wishes, then they are able to support those wishes," she said.
"When a person hasn't registered, or had that conversation with their family, then it's very hard for them to make that decision at such an emotional time."
Ms Nonu also encouraged donor and recipient families to join a service of remembrance at 1pm on Sunday, July 28, at the Old Wollongong Courthouse in Harbour Street.
To join the Australian Organ Donor Register, or for more information visit donatelife.gov.au.