We Need Each Other podcast

Brian Morgan was a fit, active detective who trained in taekwondo several times a week. Thirteen days after he retired, he was told he needed a double lung transplant.

He's still waiting. In this first episode of We Need Each Other, Brian talks about who he was before his diagnosis, how his life has changed, and what each day looks like now.

You've probably heard from people who've had a transplant. It's much rarer to hear from someone who is still waiting, and that perspective matters.

In this conversation:

Life as a police detective, and the first signs that something was wrong
A diagnosis that traced back to the parrots he'd fostered
Retiring, planning a move to Cyprus, and everything changing in 13 days
The first call from the transplant team, and what happens when lungs aren't viable
Living with oxygen, and planning every day around the next call
What he misses most, and what he hopes to do again

If this story moves you, please do two things:

Join the NHS Organ Donor Register. It takes two minutes: organdonation.nhs.uk

Tell your family. When the time comes, they will be asked whether they support your decision.

CHAPTERS
0:00 Introduction
1:01 Who Brian was before: 23 years as a detective
2:57 Failing the police fitness test
5:50 The ski trip that changed things
6:33 The question about parrots
11:05 Retirement and the plan to move to Cyprus
16:11 "You need a double lung transplant"
20:22 The four-day assessment in Birmingham
22:40 The first call, and lungs that weren't viable
32:22 Meeting Believe Organ Donor Support
33:19 Skydiving for charity
37:19 Staying strong, and the mental side
50:08 Living with oxygen
1:07:36 What Brian wants to feel again
1:11:34 His message: sign the register, talk to your family

New episodes every Sunday.

Like, subscribe and share if this episode meant something to you. It helps more people hear these stories.

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#OrganDonation #WeNeedEachOther #DoubleLungTransplant #PulmonaryFibrosis #OrganDonorRegister

Death was certain. Then people showed up.

I'm Sonsare Zabadi. A donor I never met gave me new lungs, and that gift means I've watched my son start nursery and become a dad again to a little girl.

We Need Each Other is a podcast about organ donation, told by the people who've lived it recipients, donor families, and the professionals who do this work. Recorded face to face in Cardiff.

Join the organ donor register at organdonation.nhs.uk and tell your family. Without their support it won't go ahead.

Episode 1 lands Sunday.