A TENACIOUS Wee County woman whose life was saved by a double lung transplant eight years ago could once again find herself relying on organ donation.

Lisa Hertwig, eight years on from life-saving surgery in 2016, having suffered from cystic fibrosis, is encouraging families to have the conversation ahead of Organ Donation Week.

The Alloa 33-year-old remains thankful that organ donation allowed her to do things she could only dream of before, and this August led a team at this year’s British Transplant Games in Nottingham.

Team Freeman Heart and Lung, led by Lisa as team manager, collectively won 16 medals at the games, which saw more than 2,500 people take part, including some 1,000 transplant recipients.

Lisa, who was honoured to have led the team, waited years for her double lung transplant, which dramatically improved her life, but has revealed she may be in need of a kidney due to complications.

She said: “I thoroughly enjoyed the games making more memories and friends.

“Having kidney failure - I developed sepsis during my double lung transplant which damaged my kidneys - I am now very tired and in frequent pain.

“I am currently being assessed for a possible kidney transplant, including looking for a potential live donor.

“Not only has organ donation saved my life and allowed me things I could only dream of, I have found myself relying on organ donation again.”

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Throughout her journey, documented on her page Lisa Hertwig Transplant Tales, Lisa became a strong advocate for organ donation, something she continued to campaign for in the years since 2016.

With Organ Donation Week, held from September 23 to 29, just around the corner, she issued a timely reminder that since 2021, Scotland has an “opt out” system when it comes to organ and tissue donation.

Lisa, who was on the transplant list for more than three years and had two false calls before her operations went ahead, added: “Organ donation is so important not only for me but for the thousands of people in the UK who are currently waiting on a transplant in order to live.”

She is encouraging families to have the conversation around organ donation and make sure relatives are aware of one another’s wishes.

The easiest way to record a personal donation on organ donation is to visit organdonation.scot/your-decision/how-register, where plenty of information is available.