A tough act to beat - Australia

The Daily Telegraph | Janet Fife-Yeomans

Double lung transplant recipient Ayla Sutherland, 15, with her brother

 Damon, 7 and dog Bunny. Picture: Kristi Miller  

Source: The Daily Telegraph

WITH the biggest heart and a new set of lungs, Ayla Sutherland can finally dream about a future that never seemed possible.

For the first time in her life, the 15-year-old can sing at the top of her voice and run after her border collie Bunny.

Kept alive by machine at St Vincent's Hospital for an unprecedented 57 days after her lungs failed due to cystic fibrosis, Ayla's saviour was someone she never knew -- a teenage girl whose family agreed to donate her organs.

Although she will never know their name, she has written several letters to the girl's family.

"I said that no words can describe how happy I am and how grateful my family and I are," Ayla said yesterday.

Ayla is back in her Elderslie High School classroom in Sydney's southwest following a double-lung transplant last year and teacher Maureen Moore has nominated her for a Pride of Australia Child of Courage medal.

Ms Moore said that while Ayla only wanted to be treated like any other teenager, she was wise beyond her years.
Read more: http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/a-tough-act-to-beat/story-e6freuy9-1226411547187