A Sarnia-native received the gift of a lifetime from an organ donor last month.
Tara Bourque spent her 25th birthday undergoing her second double lung transplant after the first set of lungs she was given in 2012 started to shut down.
Bourque, who's been living with Cystic Fibrosis since she was 14 months old, says she couldn't imagine a better birthday gift.
"I've been feeling really good, and I don't feel like I even had the surgery at some moments, which is kind of crazy. This recovery has been a lot easier than the first time around," she says.
The hospital was searching for a donor for over two years while Bourque was using lungs working at one-fifth their capacity.
She says the wait was exhausting both mentally and physically.
"When I was sitting around or doing a low-energy activity, I thought I was healthy, I thought I was fine," she says. "I was thinking I can go out and do all of these activities, and then as soon as I went to actually get up and try to vacuum or walk the dog, I was short of breath and that's when it kind of hit me again. So it was very daunting mentally dealing with that."
Bourque was in surgery the morning after receiving news July 22 that a donor had been found.
Tara Bourque before her second double-lung transplant.
She has been out of the hospital now since August 10, but she'll remain in Toronto with her parents until at least October while she recovers. To help pay with the hefty costs of living in the big city, a family friend started a Go Fund Me Campaign.
Her day-to-day life in the GTA includes taking a handful of pills, an hour-and-a-half workout, clinic once a week, and meeting with doctors. The rest of her time she's able to explore Toronto, which Bourque says is much more enjoyable after regaining some of her strength.
Now that her surgery is over, Bourque and her fiance have set a date for their wedding, they're making plans to travel, and to see a Montreal Canadiens game, Bourque's favourite NHL team.
She says her future was all made possible because two people decided to become organ donors.
"I mean when I think of both of my donors I am kind of left speechless. I can't put words together that would thank them enough because I am literally sitting here breathing because of an organ donor."
