Heartfelt gift changes patients' lives - Australia

Herald Sun | Alicia Wood - The Daily Telegraph
Samantha George with transplant recipient Jack Campbell. 
Picture: Stephen Cooper  Source: The Daily Telegraph
SAMANTHA George was aged just six and had been given a year to live when she started talking to NSW about organ donation. 

Now she is 30 - and the conversation has not changed.

As one of the faces of the Transplant Games, Ms George yesterday said that it was was important to keep organ donation on the agenda - with NSW significantly under the national target for organ donation rates.

"I was born with a genetic liver disease which was discovered when I was about 11 months old," the Sydney social worker said.

"After three false alarms I finally received a call on June 5, 1988, that they had a liver for me.

"Someone had unfortunately lost their life ... but this person made a selfless choice, that in the event of their passing they wanted to become an organ donor and, in doing so, gave me my second chance at life. I owe my life to a complete stranger."
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