A bright future ahead for organ recipient and nurse, Maddy

For Townsville University Hospital enrolled nurse Maddy Harland, life finally began when she received a long-awaited liver transplant at the age of 25. 

Now 29 years old, Maddy hopes her story will encourage others to have the conversation and consider registering for organ donation this DonateLife Week. 

Maddy fell into a coma at three-days-old and at three-years-old was diagnosed with carbamoyl phosphate synthetase I (CPS1) deficiency, a one in 100,000 inherited metabolic disorder that affects the body’s ability to remove ammonia from the bloodstream. 

Maddy said her diagnosis meant years of managing symptoms and putting hobbies on the shelf. 

“I’ve always loved horse-riding and wanted to be a jockey, but I wasn’t able to fully commit due to my illness,” Maddy said. 

“I was lucky to have a fairly normal childhood, beyond the medications and intensely controlled diets. 

“However, as a teenager I began getting very sick repeatedly.” 

Maddy said in the years leading up to her transplant she was in hospital on average every six weeks, including stints in the intensive care unit (ICU). 

In 2021, Maddy received the call to move to Brisbane in preparation for a vital liver transplant and after just three weeks she received her transplant. 

“The call shocked me; I didn’t realise it was the real thing until I hung up the phone,” she said. 

“I received a split graft, meaning the liver was split in half with the smaller half able to be given to a child in need.” 

Maddy said the transplant not only kept her alive, but was transformative. 

“In the years following my surgery, I have gone from strength to strength,” she said. 

“I’ve been able to return to horse riding, and my partner Dyan and I moved to Esperance in Western Australia for some time to experience rural life, and I didn’t have to spend every moment worrying about my health. 

“I am also getting married next year and will graduate from my Bachelor of Nursing at the end of this year.” 

Maddy said she chose to pursue nursing due to her own experience and the experience of her other siblings also afflicted with CPS1 deficiency.  

“My goal is to join the Royal Flying Doctor Service as a flight nurse, to bring critical care to remote communities across Australia,” she said. 

“Growing up in the country with this condition, alongside my siblings, I saw firsthand how important access to healthcare is. 

“I also hope to start a family which was an impossible thought prior to my transplant because of the risk to my health.” 

Maddy said she encouraged everyone to have the conversation with their loved ones this DonateLife Week. 

“You never know what tomorrow has in store and if your family is faced with the choice, they can at least have an idea of your wishes,” Maddy said. 

“If I could say anything to my donor’s family, it would be thank you. 

“Their choice at a time that is full of so much grief has given me a second chance and the option of a future that I would never have had. 

“It’s hard to put into words how grateful I am.” 

TUH donation specialist nurse Meagan Baldwin said DonateLife Week (Sunday 27 July to Sunday 3 August) was Australia’s major public awareness week to encourage more Australians to sign up and support organ and tissue donation. 

“Sadly, around 50 people die each year waiting for a transplant,” Meagan said. 

“In Australia, your family is always asked to agree to donation; they are much more likely to agree if they know you want to be a donor.

 “One organ donor can save the lives of up to seven people and change the lives of many more through eye and tissue donation. 

“It only takes one minute to register as an organ and tissue donor at donatelife.gov.au or through your Medicare account.”