The time Robyn Powell spent on the lung transplant waitlist was marked only by excitement. According to her daughter Jessie, her mom had no fear or sadness as she waited for the life-saving organ transplant. She said she could not understand how her mother could be so positive, but the thought of receiving new lungs was getting her through.
After several months of waiting, Robyn's doctors deemed her too unwell to receive the new lungs she desperately needed to survive. The mom of two died in February 2019 at age 60, about a year after she joined the waitlist.
Sharing the Geelong, Victoria native's story on the final day of DonateLife Week to encourage Australians to register as tissue and organ donors, Jessie described the day she, her father John, and younger brother Liam were told Robyn would not receive a lung transplant as the most devastating day ever.
Robyn diagnosed with lupus and had non-cancerous nodules on her lungs
The 30-year-old said they just knew that was it. She added that it was palliative care after that point, and all hope was lost.
Mom Robyn had been sick most of Jessie's life, but she was only diagnosed with lupus, an auto-immune disease, about three years before her death. Non-cancerous nodules were also found on her lungs, severely impacting her breathing ability.
Jessie said her mom was bedridden and on oxygen 24/7 towards the end. She added that her mother was very social and outgoing, so it was tough for them to take. Learning her mother would die if she did not receive new lungs was also confronting for them.
Jessie said it was pretty jarring being told someone else has to die for your parent to live, but one of the nurses explained to them that it means someone else is not dying in vain and they are potentially helping so many people.
Read Also: Desperate Mother Searching for Kidney Donors Deemed Seriously Ill to Have Life-saving Transplant
Jessie stresses the importance of being an organ donor
One organ donor can save up to seven lives and help many more through tissue and eye donation. Jessie said losing her beloved mother while she lingered on the lung transplant waitlist had driven her to be very vocal about the importance of people sparing one minute to register as a donor.
Jessie said it is a quick and easy thing to do, and many people do not realize how many people it could help. She made sure all her friends and family were registered, adding that it is so empowering to know you have made a decision that if, God forbid, something happens to you, it won't be in vain.
Jessie also carries on her mother's spirit, saying she was an absolute gun, the happiest and funniest person. She told news.com.au that her mom loved so hard and always put everyone else before herself, no matter how bad she felt.
