It's been just over a week since Jacquie Gale was widowed after her husband Mike suffered an unexpected brain aneurysm.
Today, she's spoken out in his memory, and about the lasting gift of life he gave be being an organ donor.
But there's a twist in his story - the couple were themselves organ donors.
Jacquie donated her kidney to Mike just a week before he lost his life.
"We named our kidneys, we named it Kidness Everdene and she was in there fighting all the nasties inside mike and he was doing really, really well," Jacquie says.
Suffering from polycystic kidneys, Mike Gale was a candidate for dialysis but it wasn't an option his family wanted.
Organ donation was the only other choice.
"We could have been waiting five years, and dialysis is such an all consuming life, the life style is non existent, but we would have had to do it," Jacquie says.
While Jacquie watched as her husband's health deteriorated, no one asked her if she wanted to be a donor because of what, she says, is an archaic rule.
"They cannot be seen to be coercing or promoting a family member giving a kidney, but as soon I asked the forms were in front of me within seconds," she says.
But nine days after the successful kidney transplant, a cruel twist of fate - Mike died as a result of a completely unrelated and unexpected brain anneurism.
"If not for the tragic anneureism, I would have given Mike and us a new life," Jacquie says.
Mike's son Dylan performed CPR for eight minutes until an ambulance crew arrived.
He was then put on life support, which meant his organs could be saved.
And just hours after his death, Jacquie and her family made the selfless decision that if Mike couldn’t live, then others would.
"From a wife's perspective it is scary. Don't be frightened of that I had that little bit of fear but what I have from that," she says.
Yeah I’m just thankful that I did it, that we all did it that we were all strong enough to make that decision together.
Mike died just over a week ago, and although the pain of his death is still raw, Jacquie and her daughter Stephanie want to encourage others to talk about organ donation within their families.
"If you can be a live donor the recipient has the best possible scenario," Jacquie says.
"Secondly, when that option isn't available being advocates for deceased donor.
"I just want to encourage everyone to think about it and not be afraid."
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