Emily Thackray was 20 years old when she joined the waiting list for a double lung transplant. Now aged 24, she explains how her new lungs have changed her life.

People ask me if there’s any other difference I notice, other than breathing, and I always say there’s actually not a single thing that doesn’t feel different. From my fingertips to my toes, I just feel fully alive again. I can do a million and one things I only ever dreamed of doing before my transplant – walk, talk in full sentences, climb stairs, swim, go on holiday, and most importantly breathe all the way in, a nice deep healthy breath, something that we all take for granted

I was diagnosed with Cystic Fibrosis at birth, and have grown up accustomed to the daily regime of physiotherapy, nebulisers, enzymes and antibiotics. As a child I was relatively well, with only occasional admissions to hospital for intravenous antibiotics to treat chest infections.

Whilst I was at university, my lung function began to decline faster, and I started to feel the impact in all areas of my life. Simple tasks such as getting dressed or hoovering would make me breathless and exhausted. My number of hospital admissions was increasing, and by my final year I had to employ aids such as oxygen cylinders and a wheelchair to allow me to get to my lectures.

On the 17th February 2005, I was told that Cystic Fibrosis had ravaged my lungs beyond repair, and I needed a double-lung transplant in the next year in order to survive. With the current shortage of organ donors, I was told that half of people waiting for lung transplants will die.

Throughout my wait I tried to stay positive but the threat of being in that 50% that doesn’t receive their transplant in time was made very real as I faced some critical moments, and at one point things got so bad my family were called to my bedside to come and say their goodbyes.

I received my transplant in the nick of time, and I know that if it weren’t for one person’s choice and one family’s brave decision one day in 2007 I would not be here today. I am only alive because of them, because of their loved ones gift, and life has just been an adventure of amazing experiences ever since. I don’t think I’ll ever be able to find the words to express my gratitude to my donor family; they gave me my life back, and I intend to make every single breath count.