Thanks to the wonderful donation of a set of healthy lungs Barrow’s John Canning is once again doing the things he loves such as sequence and ballroom dancing with his wife Catherine, D I Y, going for long walks and cooking delicious meals. Because of John’s illness, and shielding during Covid, John and Catherine hadn’t been able to dance together at their club in Hathern for over three years. When they finally returned recently they were given a wonderful welcome back.

Only it’s been a long road to reach this level of fitness as John was first diagnosed with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) in 2008. By 2020 he was so breathless he had far too little energy to hold down a job and was using a mobility scooter to get around. By 2022 he was told he had to be on oxygen 24/7. This meant wearing an oxygen tank on his back so his ability to do things was extremely limited. He certainly couldn’t cook as one stray spark and he could have blown himself up!

But now, at 64, all aspects of John’s life have improved so much that he says life’s fantastic. The oxygen tanks, the mobility scooter and all the other signs of having been so seriously ill have been put away in the garage. Thanks to the donation of the lungs and the skills of the staff at The Royal Papworth Hospital, Cambridge, his recovery has been faster than doctors expected. The complex ten-hour operation was completely successful. Now he must take daily medication to suppress his own body’s rejection of the new lungs but he hasn’t found the side-effects to be too bad. One effect has been shaky hands, another increase in weight but for this he just bought new clothes!

However, because of his still poor immunity to viruses there are foods and drinks he has been advised not to consume such as blue cheese, runny eggs, raw steak and real ale although he can drink a little wine with meals. And he is advised to keep away from crowds.

But in April 2024 Catherine and John are hoping family, friends and supporters will turn up in good numbers for a fundraising dance in Mountsorrel Memorial Hall. This dance aims to not only raise money for Papworth but also encourage people to tell their relatives before they die that they want their organs to be donated. At present there is a legal presumption that a dead person’s organs can be used for transplants but only if the family agrees. There is a real shortage of organs and sadly families, by withholding permission, reduce the life enhancing work these organs could perform once transplanted.

So please, whatever your age, make sure that your family knows you wish to donate your organs after death. Receiving families, like John and Catherine Canning, are eternally grateful.

Gaynor Barton