From dialysis to starting line

Above: Emmy O'Neill who is making the most of life by taking part in triathlons.

The Moreton Bay Triathlon will be more than just a race for Emmy O’Neill when she lines-up on the Redcliffe foreshore this weekend.

Emmy is among a group of entrants who will show the power of organ and tissue donation at Pelican Park on Sunday.

Those receiving the gift of life – and others on the waiting list – are competing to honour their donors and inspire talk about donation.

Emmy, from Brisbane, will also be celebrating the fifth anniversary of her kidney transplant and her 40th birthday.

Five years ago, after two years on dialysis and while training for this event, she received ‘the call’ that a kidney was available.

Now, Emmy an finally take part in the Moreton Bay Triathlon she once trained for - but never reached.

“As a young mum, the hardest part of dialysis wasn’t just the needles or the hours tethered to a machine - it was the fear of not being there for my kids,” Emmy said.

“Receiving my transplant has given me the chance to be the active, present mum I always wanted to be.

“Every run, every swim, every finish line is thanks to my donor and their family, whose incredible gift means I get to watch my children grow. I think of them every day.”

Even as a dialysis patient, Emmy found her way back to running, competing in the Bridge to Brisbane, and falling in love with triathlons.

“I am not my kidney disease. That become the mantra I whispered to myself every morning,” she said.

“While I was on dialysis, every training session was an active choice to be positive, to move, to live.

“All that swimming, running and lifting wasn’t just preparing me for a race or a transplant, it was preparing me for the rest of my life.”

Since her transplant, Emmy has represented Australia at the World Transplant Games in swimming and triathlon, an achievement she once thought impossible.

Her story highlights the critical need for organ and tissue donation in this country, where more than 1800 Australians are on the transplant waiting list.

“These athletes show what’s possible after transplant,” Transplant Australia CEO Chris Thomas said.

“The best way to give someone that chance is to register as an organ and tissue donor and tell your family your decision.”

To register as an organ and tissue donor, visit www.donatelife.gov.au