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Jessica wears a lab coat signed by her transplant team, nurses, lecturers, and friends, a powerful symbol of the connection between science, survival, and second chances. Photo supplied<\/p>\nAt just 23, Jessica McCourt was diagnosed with stage 4 chronic kidney disease, with the young mum\u2019s health dwindling fast.<\/p>\n
Now, she\u2019s in her final semester of a Bachelor of Science (Advanced) at the University of Newcastle (UoN), inspired by the very experience which kept her in the transplant ward.<\/p>\n
In 2015, Jessica lived an ordinary life, raising her young son Riley in Newcastle.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe was four years old and had so much energy, zooming around the place all the time,\u201d she told the Newcastle Weekly.<\/p>\n
\u201cI decided I wanted to go on a health kick to keep up with this kid and it just so happened that I broke out in a full body rash.<\/p>\n
\u201cI thought it was an allergic reaction, so I went to the GP and had a blood test.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey told me that my kidney function was at 20%.\u201d<\/p>\n
After seeing a specialist and extensive testing, Jessica was diagnosed with IgA nephropathy \u2013 an autoimmune condition which specifically attacks kidneys \u2013 and told she needed to get a transplant within a year.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou don\u2019t expect for that to happen at 23 years old,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI definitely had to process what was going to happen and what my life was going to look like.\u201d<\/p>\n
Fortunately, Jessica was able to delay her procedure until late 2018, after 12 months of trials and testing in the hopes of finding a suitable donor.<\/p>\n
Prior to her transplant, she enrolled in an introductory course at the UoN, with the goal of studying immunology.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was quite unwell at the time, I was sleeping a lot, even just going to uni for a three-hour lecture was really challenging,\u201d she explained.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo, it was definitely a pretty big rollercoaster.\u201d<\/p>\n
Despite her deteriorating health, Jessica took solace in her studies, hoping to one day help someone like her.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere was always a lab report due the next week, so it gave me that structure and stability,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt definitely helped doing chemistry and human body sciences because I would be in a lecture and I\u2019d be learning something that would relate to what was actually happening with my body.\u201d<\/p>\n
According to Jessica, one of the biggest struggles she dealt with was the assumption that youth equated to good health.<\/p>\n
\u201cI felt like I was living a secret double life,\u201d she explained.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou don\u2019t really expect the person that you\u2019re sitting next to in the lecture theatre to be waiting for an organ transplant when they\u2019re in their 20s.\u201d<\/p>\n
Now in her sixth year of tertiary study, Jessica is about to graduate with her undergraduate degree, with plans to continue her studies in 2026.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think it\u2019s incredible having that lived experience,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s such an underrated thing, especially in science because you have both the understanding as the patient and that science knowledge as well.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think it\u2019s a really powerful combination.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jessica wears a lab coat signed by her transplant team, nurses, lecturers, and friends, a powerful symbol of the connection between science, survival, and second chances. Photo supplied<\/p>\n
Jessica said she would begin her honours research of biomedical science in transplant immunology with the Hunter Transplant Research Foundation.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s out of this world,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n
\u201cI can\u2019t explain how much this means to me to be able to do something like that.\u201d<\/p>\n
But, sadly, her story is one of many.<\/p>\n
Currently, 1,800 Australians are still waiting for a life-saving transplant, as Jessica emphasised the importance of organ donation.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is a taboo topic and it\u2019s really challenging to have that conversation,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut, just knowing that you could be the reason to give someone a second chance at life is incredible.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs recipients, donors are always at the back of our minds.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe constantly think of them\u2026 and they are so important to us.\u201d<\/p>\n