‘My life is great’: Island lung transplant recipient thanks B.C. donors
Published 10:04 am Tuesday, February 3, 2026
Kathy Green could hardly breathe when it came time for a long-awaited trip to Vancouver.
In 2013, the then 63-year-old View Royal resident travelled to Vancouver General Hospital for an operation that would change her life forever.
When Green woke up from the anesthesia that had kept her unconscious for hours, she could breathe again – all thanks to the new set of lungs inflating and deflating in her chest.
“All of a sudden, it’s like a miracle – it’s better,” she said.
Three years before, Green had been diagnosed with a lung disease caused by an allergic reaction to mould and fungus.
“My lungs just progressively got worse and worse and worse to the point where they were barely working,” she said. “It was a difficult time for me and my family and my friends. I was on oxygen 24/7.”
It’s been almost 13 years now since Green underwent double-lung transplant surgery – and she couldn’t be happier with the results.
“My life is great,” she said. “I’m active, I exercise, I socialize – I’m so grateful to be alive. I’m so grateful to my donors and the transplant team.”
Green felt that same gratitude bubble up when she learned about the number of transplants that had been performed in B.C. in 2025.
“The awareness is increasing, the registration is increasing and people’s lives are being saved,” she said. “It just makes my day.”
According to data from BC Transplant, a whopping 575 British Columbians received transplants over the past 12 months. That’s the highest number the province has recorded in a single year.
Of those surgeries, 66 were lung transplants – a jump from 47 in 2024.
“Every time I see those numbers go up … it just makes me so happy and so excited, because I know that number of people now have a life,” said Green.
B.C. also set a new record in 2025 for kidney and pancreas and islet transplants – 357 and 25, respectively – and 107 liver and 30 heart transplants were also performed.
Fraser Health recorded 231 transplants – the lion’s share among the province’s five health authorities. Vancouver Coastal Health placed second with 133, followed by Island Health with 85.
Last year’s transplants wouldn’t have been possible without the generosity of 232 organ donors who Green stressed play a crucial role saving lives.
“A donor means life for someone else,” she said.
Over 8,000 kidney transplants have now been performed in B.C. since the province’s first in 1968.
Between September and the end of December last year, more than 17,000 British Columbians registered to become organ donors through a partnership between BC Transplant and the Canada Revenue Agency.
As of December 31, there are 1,626,051 British Columbians registered for organ donation.
Transplant statistics are measured by the recipient’s home health authority, not where the surgery was performed.
To register as an organ donor, visit registeryourdecision.ca.
