Engaged Woman With Cystic Fibrosis Hopeful for Life-saving Lung Donor Call

An engaged couple in the United Kingdom is hoping for the best during a difficult, uncertain wait for a long-term, albeit temporary solution for the wife-to-be’s inherited condition.

According to an article originally in the Oldham Chronicle, Sophie Wheeler from Moorside has been living with cystic fibrosis, a chronic, genetic disorder of the mucous glands wherein copious amounts of very thick, difficult to manage secretions are produced. This incurable condition most commonly affects the lungs and the digestive system.

Shaun Bradbury from Lees is Sophie’s fiance. He is on a mission to find more potential and willing organ donors for this soon-to-be wife’s pending, and potentially life-saving bilateral lung transplant. The two were childhood sweethearts, and even have the same birthdays. Last month, before their 21st birthdays, they decided to get married.

The couple’s hopes remain high despite Sophie’s ongoing stay in the hospital for respiratory and digestive complications of her condition. She’s battled cystic fibrosis all her life, and has been exhibiting a steady decline in her health. Back in 2008, Sophie underwent a lobectomy or removal of one of her lungs.

At present, she is on the donor’s watch list for her long overdue double lung transplant, and she’s been told she could receive a phone call at any given time. Despite the couple’s fight to stay positive during the long wait, there remains the reality that it is difficult to find a match, and even more so just to find a willing organ donor. According to statistics, 1 in 3 patients die while waiting for that phone call.

Shaun is calling on all who are considering becoming an organ donor and those who know someone looking to donate and potentially save a life: “Please sign up to the organ donor list and inform family members of your wishes. The thought of having organs removed after death puts some people off, but could potentially save lives.

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As a small show of support and call for awareness for cystic fibrosis, on October 5th, Shaun plans to fly down an 820-foot long zip wire, 90 feet above the Manchester Ship Canal to raise over £700 for the Cystic Fibrosis Trust.

For those interested in signing up to be an organ donor, you can visit www.organdonation.nhs.uk. For those of you interested in supporting Shaun in his zipline feat, you can search “Shaun Bradbury” through https://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/giving/.

Last week, a report was published on a 62-year-old blind man, embarking on an 11,000-mile marathon across the country for the sake of supporting his 12-year-old granddaughter with CF, and raising funds for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. Click here to learn more about it.