Kay Robertson, whose lung condition may have been caused by pollen allergies, died while on the waiting list for a double-lung transplant at the Freeman Hospital
Kay Robertson, 57, who had pulmonary fibrosis and died while on the transplant waiting list(Image: Handout / SWNS)
The family of a florist who died from a lung condition while on the waiting list for a transplant at the Freeman Hospital said inhaling pollen during her job may have triggered the illness. Kay Robertson’s family fear a career which exposed her to pollen over many years could have triggered pulmonary fibrosis – which ran in Kay’s family.
Kay, 57, died in 2024 while awaiting a double lung transplant. Her daughter Rosalynd Robertson, who works as a diabetes specialist dietitian with NHS Lanarkshire in Scotland, said her mother’s 20-year career as a florist may have triggered the condition due to exposure to pollen.
Rosalynd, who lives near Glasgow, has urged more would-be organ donors to come forward. She said: “Our mum might still be with us if there had been more donors and a larger number of lungs available. She was only 5ft 3in and she lost a lot of weight during her illness, so her petite size made it difficult for the medics to find a match.
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“The lungs of a large man would have made the procedure much more complex so would not have been suitable. After she joined the transplant list at the end of 2023, we all waited for that phone call saying there were organs available and that she would be blue-lighted to the transplant unit at the Freeman Hospital in Newcastle. But mum passed away in November last year before the call ever came.”
Kay – who was very active prior to falling ill and had enjoyed Zumba and cheerleading – had been diagnosed five years prior to her death. Daughter Rosalynd, 29, said: “Mum was diagnosed five years before she passed away and the doctors didn’t know for sure why she developed pulmonary fibrosis.
“She worked with flowers for years but her allergy to pollen was mild and didn’t bother her. Her brother also died from pulmonary fibrosis. He was an engineer on the rigs and they thought his illness could have been caused by the fumes he was breathing in from the environment there.”
Rosalynd thinks that her mum’s genes might have made her more predisposed to the illness, and that then it may have been “triggered” by exposure. She added: “It may be that they both had the genetic component for pulmonary fibrosis.
“This would mean they were both more susceptible to developing the disease, which could have then been triggered by the environmental exposures like pollen and fumes. I’d urge everyone to make a decision on donation and then tell their loved ones to ensure their wishes are honoured without any doubt.”
Earlier in the year, NHS Blood and Transplant released figures showing how over the past decade, more than 600 people have died or been removed from the transplant waiting list in the North East and Yorkshire before getting the organ they were waiting for.
The agency urges people to have open conversations with loved ones about organ donation – as while there is now an opt-out system in place, often families end up overruling a decision following someone’s death.
To find out more about organ donation or register your decision, click here.
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