It was a cruel irony which saw Jill lose her son Braedon late last year. He suffered a fatal cerebral aneurysm while playing in an annual charity rugby league match raising money for the Royal Flying Doctor Service in Outback Australia.
I went to two funerals within 48 hours recently. The first was for an 11-year old girl, the second a young man in his twenties. All funerals are sad, but those of young people are especially heart-wrenching.
They write such positive things to us which reinforces our decision. It's a good feeling knowing that her organs are giving someone else life, that Kerry is still helping somebody.
I can dance, she says when asked what is so different about her new life. It may seem like an odd thing to focus in on - but it reflects her mental attitude, not just her renewed physical ability.
This is my second chance at life so I look at it a bit differently now. When I took on the heart, I took on the responsibility of keeping myself healthy and doing the right thing.
She now enjoys perfect liver function and has caught up physically and developmentally with her peers. She's very bright and quite bolshie, laughs Mel. She has so much energy which is an amazing contrast to the sick little girl she was.
It's very hard to put into words how grateful I am to my donor family. I know that I have received a very precious gift and will never take that for granted. My health is excellent today because a family agreed to support organ and tissue donation.
He can never thank the wife of his donor enough and says he is just so grateful that she and her husband had spoken about organ donation and knew each other's wishes.
We take some comfort in the fact that Zachary's organs have given life to at least four recipients. Their lives are a testament to Zachary's wishes and we extend our love to them all.
