Coen's urgent need is for a double lung transplant
LOOKING at his smile, you would think he was just like any other happy 15-year-old.
Bubbly, adventurous and as determined as they come.
But there is something that separates Coen Ashton from his peers.
He suffers from cystic fibrosis and desperately needs a double lung transplant.
Having been on the organ transplant waiting list for more than two years, Coen's family fear his time is running out.
"In order to live, he needs this double lung transplant and he is at the stage now where if he doesn't get it soon, he will have to either go on life support or he will die," Coen's cousin Shelley Mayes said.
Coen has starred on a number of television shows over the past few years such as The Project and Sunday Night.
He won the Pride of Australia Medal this year and jet-skied the length of the Murray River collecting 1000 organ donor registrations on his journey.
"For a boy who can hardly breathe, that's a pretty awesome achievement," Ms Mayes said.
Once he receives his transplant, Coen wants to do the jet ski down the 2000km Murray River again and show just how much of a difference a new set of lungs could make for a boy who was down to almost 7% lung capacity.
In a bid to help generate more awareness about organ donation, Ms Mayes is asking 50 people from Warwick to register as organ donors.
"A lot of people think that because they ticked a box once upon a time, that they're registered, but they're not necessarily," she said.
"There is also something like 60% of families decline (to have their deceased family member's organs donated)."
Drop into Voyage Fitness to grab your registration forms and help Shelley reach her goal of 50 registrations and save up to 10 lives each.
