Isabelle Rigby with her mum Tracey Newman
Every morning, Tracey Newman listens for the sound of her daughter’s footsteps, a sound that fills her with deep gratitude. At 19, Isabelle Rigby is a survivor, having recently undergone a heart and double lung transplant, a procedure that marks her as the youngest patient in Western Australia to receive such treatment. The journey to this moment has been fraught with challenges since Isabelle was born at just 24 weeks and five days, weighing a mere 695 grams.
Tracey vividly recalls the early days in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Princess Margaret Hospital. For 175 days, she and her husband, Simon Rigby, sat by their daughter’s incubator, grappling with the uncertainty of Isabelle’s survival. “There wasn’t a day that wasn’t a fight,” Tracey said. Isabelle faced multiple medical hurdles, including a tracheostomy at just 1.2 kilograms, a procedure her surgeon had never performed on such a small infant.
Despite the odds, Isabelle fought through her challenges. As Tracey explained, they learned basic sign language to communicate with Isabelle until a successful airway reconstruction allowed her to speak. “I kept a bottle of Mumm champagne in the fridge for two years until she could say the word mum, and when she did, I celebrated,” Tracey recalled.
Just as the family began to envision a brighter future, they faced another daunting reality. Due to her extreme prematurity and prolonged dependence on oxygen, Isabelle developed pulmonary hypertension, a serious condition that significantly affected her heart and lungs. “At 14, her medications just stopped working,” Tracey shared.
In a critical moment, the family took Isabelle to the hospital for what they thought would be a routine check. Instead, she was admitted to intensive care and later transferred to Fiona Stanley Hospital, where doctors urgently placed her on the transplant donor list. “We needed it to happen quickly, very quickly,” Tracey stated.
Isabelle’s situation was dire. “We could have lost her at any moment,” Tracey said, expressing the profound fear parents face when confronted with the possibility of losing a child. Isabelle, aware of her precarious health, kept her spirits up by reading and engaging with her family and medical staff.
Miraculously, just three days after being placed on the transplant list, a suitable donor was found. “It was like the angels were looking over us,” Tracey said. While the family celebrated the news, they remained mindful of the donor’s family, who were experiencing their own grief. “A donor is never forgotten. They’re not just a donor; they’re a hero,” Tracey reflected.
The surgery itself was a grueling ten hours long. Today, Isabelle’s recovery is closely monitored by the Lung Transplant Clinic at Fiona Stanley Hospital, a program supported by Telethon. Since her transplant, Isabelle has developed a close bond with the medical team and participates in annual camps organized by Transplant WA, another initiative funded by Telethon.
In 2023, Isabelle showcased her remarkable recovery by representing Australia at the World Transplant Games, where she won a bronze medal in the 100-metre sprint. “I can pretty much do everything I wasn’t able to do before,” she said, noting how she can now fully engage in sports and live a normal life.
With dreams of travelling the world, Isabelle has set her sights on visiting places like Italy, Egypt, and Greece. “That’s the big plan,” she said, filled with enthusiasm for the future.
As Telethon 2025 approaches, Tracey reflects on the vital support that has enabled Isabelle’s journey. “What West Australians give to help sick kids is incredible,” she said. “Without Telethon, we wouldn’t have the equipment, programs, and research to help all the sick kids in WA.”
The Rigby family’s story is a testament to resilience, hope, and the life-changing impact of organ donation, underscoring the importance of community support in transforming lives.
