Queensland boy receives donor lung hours before life support due to be turned off
A Queensland teen's life has been saved by a last-minute organ donation after being given just 24 hours to live.
Now a teenager, Sean was diagnosed with an unknown terminal lung disease at just seven years old.
For the next two years, he was in a wheelchair, fed by a tube and on oxygen before his lungs began to fail.
At one stage, the young boy was put on life support and given just a day to live.
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Sean was diagnosed with a lung disease at seven years old and was given just 24-hours to live after his lungs failed two years later. Nine/Supplied
"I was actually planning his funeral," mum Lee-Ann Rice said of the heartbreaking incident.
With just hours until Sean's life support was due to be turned off, his parents received a life-changing call.
A new set of donor lungs became available at the last moment, and Sean was transported to Melbourne for a transplant.
"I thought we'd run out of time and at the last minute we got the phone call," Rice said.
"It was a whirlwind, he got airlifted to Melbourne to receive his new lungs and he is not a typical teenage boy."
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The child, who had been on a waiting list for an organ transplant received a new set of lungs just hours before his life support was due to be turned off. Nine
Over 1750 Australians are currently on the waiting list for an organ transplant.
Amanda Leitch from Donate Life said anyone can register to be a donor.
"That's helped someone that's been on the waiting list and help change their life and saved their life," Leitch said.
"It includes heart, lungs, liver, kidneys and at times pancreas and intestine transplants."
Nationally, 36 per cent of people are registered for organ donation.
In Queensland, 30 per cent of residents are registered.
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Rice said she was planning her child's funeral when later, the phone rang with life-changing news. Nine
The sign-up process takes minutes and could save someone's life in the event of an unlikely accident or death.
Leitch said Donate Life week is an opportunity to remind Australians of the potentially life-saving impact of organ donation.
"It's not something everyone thinks about every day, and it empowers families to know your wishes if you are at end of life."
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