Ron’s heart stopped at the age of 59 and for four minutes he was dead. When he was brought back Ron was told that he needed a heart transplant and last Wednesday marked the 14th year since Ron received the lifesaving treatment.

In the years since he was given his new heart Ron estimates he has taken 75,000 pills to keep his body from rejecting the organ and to keep him alive. He had to make some changes in his life-style which include monitoring what he eats, limiting himself to only two glasses of wine at a time and avoiding cigarettes and heavy labour.

“It’s all part of my life now, but for 14 years bonus, I don’t mind,” Ron said.

Almost 1.3 million Australians are currently registered as organ donors and Ron would like to see that number grow because there is currently almost 2,000 people on the organ transplant waiting list and many of them will die waiting.

“I would strongly recommend people to get on the Australian donor record and donate as much as they can, because you can donate more than just your heart,” Ron said.

B Visit www.medicareaustralia

.gov.au for more information on how you can become a registered organ donor.