100 years of life

What does 100 years of life look like after a bone marrow transplant?

It looks like Lisa, Jonathon, and Kerrin — three extraordinary Australians who’ve not only survived bone marrow transplants, but have gone on to thrive, compete, and inspire at the Australian and  World Transplant Games. Between them, they’ve lived a full century since their life-saving bone marrow transplants.

And they’re still going strong.

Lisa: The “Granny of the Games” With Gold in Her Veins

In 1984, Lisa was in year 10, and was a cross-country skier on Australia’s Junior Nordic Development Team. A diagnosis of acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL) flipped her world on its head. At just 15, she traded ski poles for IV poles, as she took on one of the most challenging things she has ever faced: a bone marrow transplant with her doctor giving her 50/50 odds.

In her words, “I went into it really fit. Didn’t come out of it so fit, though. I think I managed to do a 50-metre totter on skis that first August after my transplant which I had in February 1985. I think it’s important to talk about what it can be like,” she said, “because when you’re going through a transplant and facing the complications that can arise, you think am I the only one who has experienced these side affects and how long will it take to get better — if at all?  I had five weeks of vomiting, and five weeks of headaches, and I couldn’t eat. And thinking was quite hard. Even my brain muscle needed retraining post transplant too.”

Fast forward 40 years, and Lisa wants people to know it is possible to live a long and happy life post bone marrow transplant. She has faced, and survived, three further cancers since her ALL, and she’s just happy to be alive long enough to still be able to share a glass of bubbles with her mum, Beryl, who is now 88.

Lisa calls herself a “granny of the games”. She’s competed in twelve Summer Games and six Winter Games, competing in swimming, cycling, running, and skiing events. Her medal tally? A dazzling cache, heavy on gold. “To be still kicking in the pool and on the dancefloor this long after a transplant is something I’m exceptionally thankful for, and credit goes to my medical team – doctors and nurses – and all the researchers working behind the scenes to bring treatments form the lab bench to the bedside. Not to mention being well enough to compete at the World Transplant Games. The Games give you perspective and a purposeful goal to get fit for. And they give you lifelong likeminded friends.”

Jonathon: Still Standing, Still Smiling

Jonathon was working full time and loving life when he was diagnosed with myelofibrosis in 1996. He packed up his life and moved to Melbourne for treatment with a stem cell transplant from one of his brothers. “We chose the good looking one but it didn’t pay off in any changes to my looks!”

Jonathon jokes about his transplant, but it was the beginning of a long, uncertain road. “It’s harrowing,” he said, “waiting for your transplant to kick in.” He ended up staying in hospital for three months, and then spent many more months living in an apartment close by so that he could get to his checkups and medical tests three times a week.

It wasn’t smooth sailing. Jonathon developed acute graft v. host disease (GvHD), a complication where the new immune system attacks the host body. Even today, 28 years later, he manages ongoing challenges from chronic GvHD.

But he’s still standing. Still smiling. Still competing.

Jonathon, who worked in sports administration for nearly two decades, didn’t work for three years while he recovered from his transplant. Now he works part time in the disability sector, and is also coaching basketball. He also proudly participates in the Australian Transplant Games, and has competed in athletics, basketball, golf and péntanque.

“It’s a real boost,” he said of the games, where 1500 people or more who have all had a second chance at life come together to celebrate. “The spirit and camaraderie of the games is phenomenal. You just look at the positivity of everyone there. It’s amazing!”

Kerrin: Beating the odds

In 1990, Kerrin was in Year 12 and a competitive tennis player when she was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukaemia (AML). She spent most of her final school year in hospital, and treatment was tough: multiple rounds of chemotherapy, total body radiation, and finally a mismatched Bone Marrow transplant in 1991 from her father. She was told she had a 20% chance of survival.

But survive she did! And she returned to study to complete school, followed by a degree in physical education.

“There were challenges. It was hard dealing with the isolation during treatment, and also afterwards while my immunity was so low,” Kerrin said.

Her friends were going out, doing all the things young people do, but Kerrin just couldn’t join in. There was ongoing tiredness, and decreased strength and fitness to contend with, not to mention a marked lack of ability to focus and concentrate, meaning that she had to reduce her study to a part time load.

“But there were lots of wins as well,” Kerrin said. “I’m very lucky to get through the transplant, and just studying and completing a degree was a goal; getting back into playing tennis and getting exercise, being able to go out to nightclubs with friends, competing in my first Transplant Games 18 months after transplant was very exciting. I’ve never looked back!”

And life threw more surprises Kerrin’s way.

Kerrin was told she wouldn’t be able to conceive after her aggressive treatment, but to everyone’s surprise she fell pregnant naturally, and had a baby boy who is now 20 years of age. He’s fit, strong, and healthy, and carries the middle name “Jeff” after Kerrin’s treating doctor Professor Jeff Szer.

She’s also a multi-talented competitor with 12 Australian Games and 8 World Transplant Games to her name. She competes in tennis, athletics, table tennis, badminton, chess, darts, and golf, and loves being part of the Transplant Games community.

And what has she learned from it all?

“Take it one day at a time. Give life your best shot, and stay positive.”

Why Their Stories Matter – And Why the Transplant Games Do Too

Bone marrow transplant survivors are often seen as medical success stories — but what happens after survival? Lisa, Jonathon and Kerrin show us what’s possible: not just recovery, but reinvention, resilience and joy.

The Transplant Games aren’t just about medals. They’re a celebration of second chances.

The 2025 World Transplant Games were held this year in Dresden, Germany, from 17th to 24th August. Athletes and teams from 51 countries took part, competing in over 17 sports. Among them was Team Australia, proudly represented by transplant recipients like Lisa, Jonathon and Kerrin – champions who have turned adversity into action.

The World Transplant Games show that health and fitness can be achieved post-transplant and also help to raise public awareness of the importance and benefits of organ and tissue donation. The athletes and their generous donors give hope to people on transplant waiting lists all around the world.

The Games also offer transplant recipients a way of saying thank you to those who made it possible – donors, families, health professionals, researchers and carers. Without them, there would be nobody on the starting line.

Lisa, Jonathon, and Kerrin haven’t just survived 100 years between them — they’ve lived them.

And they’re not done yet.