Today she’s a radiant bride, but just over a year ago Melinda Wrzesien was critically ill. “I walked in the park over the weekend with our dog, Ziggi, and I stood still, looked up into the sky, took the deepest breath and yelled out ‘thank you!’” says Melinda. “My mind and body took over and once I had done it I was smiling – I am truly blessed to be here today, and quite frankly, one of the lucky ones.” Born with life-threatening cystic fibrosis, from the age of 16 Melinda knew she would eventually need a triple organ transplant. The disease filled her lungs with thick mucus, and caused bowel, sinus and digestion problems and cirrhosis of the liver. “The kids at school would tease me because I was sick, calling me ‘pill popper’. I went through a stage when I was 12 where I was anorexic because I wouldn’t take my tablets. But Mum got me through it,” Melinda says. “Mum can’t believe how much I eat now, my appetite. When you’re sick eating is the last thing on your mind. You eat because you have to keep the calories up. But food has such a different taste now, you enjoy it more.” Growing up on the Gold Coast, Melinda lived a relatively normal life with her younger brothers Steven and Darren. Despite her worsening health, Melinda completed school and went straight into full time work at a pharmacy, starting her career as a beauty consultant. “I was like every other normal kid. I tried all types of sports: netball, gymnastics, dance. Mum let me try everything, but nothing really stuck. I loved dancing but it got to be too much,” she says. About 11 years ago, when she was 21, Melinda’s two or three annual hospital stays increased to every three or four months. She reduced her working hours to part time, taking every other day at home to recover. She’d spend two weeks in hospital at a time, creeping up to six week stays around six years ago. “Mine was a rapid deterioration,” she says. “I always knew I’d need a triple, I just always thought I’d get to my mid-30s and then I’d be right.” In 2004, Melinda met Andrew at a friend’s 30th. As she was leaving he leapt in front of her and introduced himself. She made a wise crack and their friends laughed that they’d each found their match. “Our first date was amazing. He took me to the show at the casino and then drinks afterwards,” she says. “Our second date we went out for dinner. It was like we’d known each other forever. We just talked and laughed.” Because of their mutual friends, Andrew already knew Melinda has cystic fibrosis. A previous boyfriend had broken up with her because of the life-threatening illness, shaking Melinda’s confidence, but Andrew had had a school friend with the condition and knew what it was. “The first year we were together I had a really good year, only about two or three admissions. He’s been there, seen me relatively healthy, the gradual decline, then the rapid deterioration and now so much better after transplant,” Melinda says. In December 2006, Melinda was admitted to The Prince Charles Hospital with life-threatening pneumonia and nearly didn’t survive. Three months later she was listed for transplant. Knowing she would have a long wait ahead, Melinda tried to remain as healthy as possible. She would stay in the hospital for two to three weeks, followed by only up to a week at home before returning to the ward. “I was just trying to stay positive and as well as I could be in case I got the call. I had my very low days and I had some high days,” she says. “Andrew proposed to me in that time, in April 2008. We said we’d hold the engagement party after my transplant, but I started to think about all the things I might not get a chance to do. We had the party in November 2008.” For the two years she was on the transplant list, Melinda lived out of a suitcase and spent most of her time in pyjamas. When she was at home she could barely leave the couch. Suffering from pleurisy and bouts of pneumonia, Melinda needed increasing pain relief daily just to help her breathe. “I said once I got the transplant I’d have a bonfire and burn all my PJs. When I gathered them all together I counted over 35 pairs!” she says. “I didn’t end up burning them though. I gave them to charity.” Melinda remembers the exact time she received her transplant call, 5.37pm. Her faith in the dedication of the transplant and cystic fibrosis teams helped her keep going while she was so sick. “Without them I would not be here today. They truly are amazing and the priority they give you when you need it the most is fantastic.” Though her lungs, heart and liver are now healthy, Melinda still has cystic fibrosis in her pancreas and takes pills to help digest food. Nine years ago her stepfather Michael had a kidney transplant and during her illness Melinda’s own kidneys were damaged and continue to be monitored closely. “Michael and I always compare our tablets. He thinks that I’m the one who gives him a positive attitude because I’ve been through so much, but we give each other a lot of support,” Melinda says. “My mum’s one in a million to me. I don’t know how she does it. She was there by my side when I was sick. Their lives were put on hold for two years while I was waiting for the transplant. Now that they can see I’m doing better they’re planning more as well.” Happy and healthy, 32 year old Melinda and Andrew are now building a house and planning their wedding for later this year. The couple run their own plumbing business on the Gold Coast. Five months after her transplant, Melinda returned to her beauty career, wanting to regain her independence and the confidence she lost during her wait for transplant. She works as a beauty traveller, moving around various cosmetics counters in department stores. In the busy pre-Christmas period she was able to work up to 40 hours a week. “Before the transplant I was sleeping for 10 to 12 hours a night. Now I can run on six or seven hours of sleep. I felt like I was sleeping my life away,” she says. “I have so much energy now, I don’t know where it’s come from.”