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continued from p.6 learned who got the lungs and if it really made a difference," he said. "Organ donation does make a difference and they got to see it firsthand." Childerhose and Taylor say they are both still actively involved with the Oakville Be A Donor Campaign and the Trillium Gift of Life Network, which work to create more awareness about organ donation and dispel misconceptions surrounding it. In Ontario, 2.79 million out of an eligible 11.74 million are registered donors -- that's 24 per cent. In Oakville, as of yesterday (Wednesday), there are 47,919 registered donors. According to BeADonor.ca, a single donor can save up to eight lives with organs and enhance up to 75 lives with tissue. · · · A lot has changed for Childerhose a year after his transplant; most notably he and Taylor married on Oct. 27, 2013 at the Royal Woodbine Golf Course in Toronto. The couple won an $80,000-wedding package in a contest put on by Wedding Saviours, a website where professionals advertise their services, after being encouraged by their friends to enter the online competition. It included everything from the Childerhose is back in `his happy place' -- in many ways dress and rings to a honeymoon in Grand Cayman. In addition to having to tell their story through blogging, the couple also had to pay it forward in their community as part of the contest -- they raised money for Toronto's Hospital for Sick Children, and held a food drive in July for food banks in the Greater Toronto Area, including Fareshare and Kerr Street Ministries (KSM). They plan to hold a food drive every year in July for KSM. Childerhose said seeing his bride on their wedding day and taking his vows was very emotional -- especially given how close he'd come to dying. It was the same for Taylor. "When we said the words `in sickness and health', I realized that I could have lost him and I said those vows knowing very clearly that I could be in that place again... but I wouldn't do anything differently," she said. Taylor notes statistics on lung transplants that state 75 per cent of people make it to the one-year mark and that's considered a successful transplant. After five years, there's a 50 per cent mortality rate. Taylor continues to run the day-today business of her and her husband's construction company, while Childerhose says it is his goal to eventually after my surgery , going for two days. "It was a sense of accomplishment... I thought if I wait until next year, I don't know if I'm going to be able to do it. Who knows where I'm going to be, but I can do it now. It was nice to be able to get back to nature -- my happy place." Childerhose has also joined the Canadian Transplant Games, held by the Canadian Transplant Association, in an effort to create awareness and show organ donation and transplantation works and what can happen afterwards, he says. To follow the Oakville Be A Donor campaign, visit www.beadonor.ca or go to Twitter @OakBeADonor. More information on donor registration is available at www.giftoflife. on.ca or by calling 1-800-263-2833. A video of the Oakville Beaver's visit with Childerhose, compiled by photographer and videographer Nikki Wesley, is available at www. insidehalton.com/video/4340139. Editor's Note: This is the second of a two-part series revisiting local organ transplant recipients in the years following their surgery. Last week, the Oakville Beaver checked in with Jennifer Malabar , who had a kidney transplant two years ago. For the story, visit www.oakvillebeaver .com. 7 | Thursday, January 30, 2014 | OAKVILLE BEAVER | www.insideHALTON.com Keith Childerhose had diffuse panbronchiolitis and was at Toronto General Hospital waiting for a lung transplant. He was on the waiting list at status 2 (the highest priority). Here, he is pictured with his wife Sarah Taylor on life support, last year. | Oakville Beaver file photo get back to work. Post-transplant, Childerhose says he's going to get cracking on making a new bucket list after completing his last one before he was hospitalized. One of the new items was to return to Algonquin Provincial Park and por- tage for a week -- a favourite pastime. "I had a goal that after three years, I would be able to recover enough to be able to return to Algonquin," he said. "But I was able to work up all my muscles and have all the energy and strength to get there within six months Oakville Cycle & Sports WE'LL PAY THE TAX ON ALL IN STOCK INVENTORY 2013 BIKES already on sale of men's and ladies Cycling Clothing PLUS Save the Tax 40% OFF large selection WE CARRY: Specialized, Norco, Rocky Mountain, Miele, Chariot Carriers Come in and see the new 2014 Norco Bigfoot designed to take riders into wild places not normally accessible to bicycles. Fat tires help the bike float through sand, snow, mud and other variable terrain. 125 Cross Avenue, Oakville 905.844.4394 www.oakvillecycle.com · MONDAY-FRIDAY 10-6PM · SATURDAY 10-5PM · SUNDAY 12-4PM