Three months ago, Terry Cunningham was facing the prospect of never being able to walk again.
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The Kambah resident became involved in a freak motorcycle accident while riding with a group near Batemans Bay, shattering part of his lower back.
"I went over a bump no higher than my knee, and when I landed, the back tyre went up into the bike and snapped the rear of my spine," he said.
"The rest of the motorcycle group were waiting for me, and when they came back for me because I hadn't showed up, they found me face down in the dirt and rocks."
The avid motorcyclist would have to wait for more than three hours, unable to move, before he was airlifted to intensive care at Canberra Hospital.
The initial diagnosis from surgeons did not look hopeful. His L1 vertebrae had been "blown apart", with operations not looking likely to succeed. However, hope came a few weeks later in the form of a bone donor, and after a marathon seven-hour surgery, the donor bone was able to replace the shattered discs in Mr Cunningham's back.
"It really has saved my life, because without the donation, it would've changed my whole family dynamic having to look after me in a wheelchair," he said.
Mr Cunningham has a lot to thank his bone donor for, but he is not the only thankful one. Sunday marked DonateLife Thank You Day, a chance to pay tribute to people, both living and dead, who have donated organs in Australia.
So far this year more than 1000 Australians have received a life-saving organ transplant. While figures from DonateLife show 71 per cent of Canberra residents are willing to donate organs, just 23 per cent are on the Australian Organ Donation Register.
The figures also show 91 per cent of Canberrans are confident their family would uphold their decision to donate organs, yet only 43 per cent have discussed it with their families. Mr Cunningham said while he can't personally thank his life-saving donor, he would want to show as much appreciation as he could.
"Words can't express how I feel," he said. "I would give them the biggest hug just to show them my gratitude for their gift.”
Andrew Brown
I've been part of the Canberra Times since 2016, after reporting at local papers in Sydney's north-west. Since starting at the paper I've had stints on the Sunday Times, on the early morning breaking news round, and now as a general reporter, covering the ins and outs of anything and everything happening in Canberra, with a focus on health.
I've been part of the Canberra Times since 2016, after reporting at local papers in Sydney's north-west. Since starting at the paper I've had stints on the Sunday Times, on the early morning breaking news round, and now as a general reporter, covering the ins and outs of anything and everything happening in Canberra, with a focus on health.
