Today’s contribution to our Organ Donation Week series was kindly gifted by Andy Prigg who we met at this year’s Transplant Games. Andy is an outstanding competitor, and generously committed, as you’ll read below, to living his gratitude for organ donation…
“Ad astra per aspera”
These words are engraved on the ring I wear every single day. Since June 5th, 2024, it has never left my hand. Around my neck, I also carry a silver chain with a small sapling and the same date engraved.
There is both irony and meaning in this.
The irony:
- I never connected with languages at school. French in primary school felt alien, Spanish in secondary only slightly better. Somehow, I scraped through my GCSE – thanks in no small part to my family who rewatched old films with Spanish subtitles on repeat the week before my exam! Latin would have been my nightmare – indecipherable. Yet here I am, living each day by a Latin phrase.
- I also never wore jewellery. I didn’t see the point, and it didn’t feel like me. But now, this ring and necklace are a part of me – a quiet reminder I carry everywhere.
The meaning:
“Ad astra per aspera” translates roughly as “To the stars through hardships.”
For me, those words hold layers of significance. They remind me daily of the incredible gift I’ve been given through organ donation, and of the journey that has shaped me.
- Hope. To reach the stars, one must first endure hardship. Organ donation is about hope – for the 8,000 people in the UK currently waiting for a transplant, and for families who say yes to donation at the hardest moment of their lives. Hope is what carries us through.
- Perspective. Whenever I face struggles, I remind myself that my hardships are small compared with what donor families have gone through, or the weight of waiting for a call that might never come. My ring grounds me in that reality.
- Gratitude. This jewellery is more than metal – it’s a visible symbol of sacrifice, love, and second chances. It’s a connection to my donor and their family, whose generosity changed my life.
What organ donation means to me
On June 5th, 2024, I received a combined liver and kidney transplant. I was born with a rare cystic kidney disease, which meant hospital visits, uncertainty, and limitations shaped much of my childhood and young adult life. That all changed the day I was given my transplant.
Being on the transplant waiting list was one of the hardest chapters of my life. It felt like everything was on pause — I couldn’t plan ahead, I couldn’t fully live. Nights were sleepless, full of worry. What made it so strange was that I dreaded the phone call that could save me. I feared my own mortality at such a young age, but I also knew that for me to get ‘the call’, it meant another family would be going through the darkest night of their lives. Living with that knowledge was heavy, and it shaped who I became. But coming through it with my transplant has reframed my identity — I’ve learned resilience, empathy, and the importance of never taking life for granted.
Organ donation gave me a new lease of life – quite literally. I can do things I couldn’t before.
There are also the small, almost silly milestones that meant the world to me. About a month after the transplant, still sore and moving slowly, I took the dogs for a walk for the very first time. I was in pain, yes, but for the first time I felt like I was getting my life back. Another moment was the first night I ever slept through without needing to get up for a wee, something I’d never experienced before my transplant. It seems small, but that night I realised just how different life could be.
First family holiday ( a year after transplants – hiking in Norway)
Me and my Nan walking on my 22nd (Just shy of a year from the transplants) (see dog mentioned!)
My gratitude extends in many directions:
- To my donor and their family – for saying yes in a moment of unimaginable grief.
- To my family – who supported me through every appointment, setback, and long night.
- To my clinicians, especially my nephrologist – whose care, skill, and belief in me made this second chance possible.
Looking ahead
This experience has reshaped who I am and who I want to become.
- As a person, my hope is simple: to be kind, caring, and to make the most of the life I’ve been gifted.
- As a future doctor, I want to support both recipients and donor families. I hope to train as a transplant surgeon and to carry forward the legacy of those who give the gift of life.
- In research and education, I want to contribute to better understanding and awareness. For example, I’m passionate about introducing a national module on organ donation and transplantation into medical education – because every doctor should know about this, and every patient should benefit from that knowledge.
Me in the Library on placement ( I spend a lot of time here!) See necklace.
Organ donation is not just about saving lives – it’s about transforming them. My story is just one example of the ripple effect a single act of generosity can create.
This Organ Donation Week, I want to encourage everyone to have the conversation, to make your wishes known, and to support the incredible work of charities and campaigns like Live Loudly Donate Proudly.
Because through hardship, we can reach the stars.
And thanks to organ donation, I’ve been given the chance to chase mine.