Hélène Campbell gets a key to the city, reveals second transplant

Ottawa organ donation advocate Hélène Campbell received the key to the city Thursday night.

But she also revealed that last fall she received an even greater prize, a second double lung transplant.

Campbell, who brought international attention to the issue of organ donation before her first transplant in 2012, said she needed a second transplant last year.

"In tissue and organ donation there is always a risk that your body may reject the organ you receive," she said.

"I went through chronic rejection, which is fairly common, and I had a second lung transplant that saved my life."

Campbell was diagnosed with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, a degenerative lung disease, in July 2011 after she collapsed on a hiking trail.

The Barrhaven native, then 20 years old, garnered widespread attention for her Twitter campaign to raise awareness about organ donation, appearing on the Ellen DeGeneres Show in February 2012.

She has continued to raise awareness about the need for organ donation since then and also started a charity to help donors forced to live away from home while waiting for a transplant.

After accepting the key from Mayor Jim Watson, Campbell said the community had given her much already and she thanked everyone for their support.

"I want you all to know that if you are here today it's because you have improved my life in some way," she said.

Campbell, who also has a street named in her honour, said she was stunned when she heard she was getting the key.  

"I was quite speechless, and as you can see I talk quite a bit."

Watson said Campbell took a challenge and turned it into a campaign that continues to help people to this day.

"She has done incredible work to raise awareness about the need for organ donations," he said.

"We have seen a huge increase locally of the number of people registering."