December marks an emotional time for Margaret Benson, but not for the reasons you might think.
Margaret felt a full breath of air for the first time at age 40, after a double lung transplant from an anonymous donor on Dec. 1, 1999.
“It was literally like I was drowning all the time,” Margaret said.
She was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis – a genetic, progressive disease that causes thick mucus to clog the lungs’ passageways – at only 14. Doctors told her she had a year left to live, as the life expectancy was 15 at the time.
But the diagnosis didn’t stop Margaret from living her life, as she later became a teacher at Brooksbank Elementary for 14 years.
This Dec. 1 marked the 25th anniversary of her life-changing transplant, and dozens of people joined her to bust a move at St. Catherine’s Church Sunday to celebrate the milestone. Margaret, now 65, and her friend Miyuki Spencer organized a Zumba class to mark the occasion and give back to the community.
All the proceeds from the Zumba party are going to the Canadian Transplant Association. The group raised approximately $1,100, she said.
“The celebration comes at the hands of someone having to donate their loved one’s organs, but I try and live my life for them and in jubilation for what their life was,” Margaret said. “I always think of them whenever I accomplish or do something.”
Upbeat music filled the church’s gymnasium, with Beyonce’s “Single Ladies and “Waka Waka” by Shakira getting the crowd going. But as the hour-long session came to an end, Margaret wanted to finish with a song close to her heart – “Seasons of Love” from the Broadway musical Rent.
The song is known for its “525,600 minutes” lyric, denoting the number of minutes in a year. Margaret wanted to show that if you take that number and multiple it by 25, that’s how many minutes have gone by since her transplant.
When Margaret got the transplant, it marked the beginning of a new millennia for her, she said. She was originally told her life expectancy after receiving the transplant would be five years.
At the celebration, a scrapbook was displayed showing her journey since her transplant, including photos in the hospital, letters from friends and family, a drawing from her niece and newspaper clippings.
The Zumba party was one of Benson's biggest celebrations yet, incoporating one of her passions – she has been a Zumba instructor for the past 12 years.
“The 25 years, I just sort of can’t believe it," she said. "I can’t comprehend it sometimes.”
On the gym sidelines was her husband, Brian Benson, who said he is happy to see how far she’s come over the years. Every year is a celebration for them.
“It’s a very surreal day,” Brian said. “Here we are 25 years later and she’s active in the community and doing the Zumba and having a great time.”
The pair have been married since 1988, and Brian said he has always been amazed by her attitude to life.
“She sets the bar high for somebody who’s been through so much, and she doesn’t feel sorry for herself,” he said. “She just tends to ignore it and [doesn’t let herself] be defined by her disease or health situation.”
This wasn’t the only transplant Margaret needed in her life. Her kidneys started to fail in 2019 due to long-term use of transplant medication. To save her life, her 73-year-old brother donated a kidney.
As of Nov. 20, nearly 400 transplants have been performed this year in B.C., and 635 people are waiting for a transplant, according to data from BC Transplant’s website.
She talked about what has kept her going all these years.
“I had a lot of mental strength,” she said. “When you’re told you’re only going to live one more year and the life expectancy is 15, you've got to get a lot of inner strength to keep going.”
Abby Luciano is the Indigenous and civic affairs reporter for the North Shore News. This reporting beat is made possible by the Local Journalism Initiative. [email protected]
