Watch Insight's episode 'A Stranger Saved My Life' on Tuesday at 8:30pm.
There’s a unique and lifelong bond between a person whose life was saved by a stranger, and the stranger who, through chance, tragedy or extraordinary generosity, has saved them.
And when those strangers meet each other for the first time on national television, anything can happen.
Tham Lu, 51, was initially reluctant to donate her sister Aileen Nguyen’s organs after Aileen took her own life in March, 2014. But five years on, she meets the recipient of her sister’s lungs, 51 year old Tracey Slatter, for the first time, at SBS Insight’s Sydney studios.
“I hope you get comfort knowing that what you did has saved my life, made such a difference to my family,” Slatter, from Gladstone, Queensland, tells Lu, from Adelaide. “My kids have their mum back. My grandson has got a grandma, and it’s all because of you.”
“I think I need a tissue, sorry… very unprofessional of me,” Jenny Brockie, the long-time host of Insight admits, as she pauses proceedings to regain her composure.
“Just talk amongst yourselves while I have a moment please... I’ve been holding back tears for a bit during this episode tonight.”
When Tracey meets Tham is just one overwhelming moment in the program, 'A Stranger Saved My Life'.
Marcel Latupeirissa, 43, and Genna Haines-Monaghan, 31, also meet on the show, for the first time since 2009 when Latupeirissa’s leg was ripped off in a motorbike crash on a mountain road on New Zealand’s North Island. Haines-Monaghan saved Latupeirissa from bleeding to death by applying a makeshift tourniquet to the stump.
“She’s my angel… I always knew I would see her (again)… I wanted it to be face-to-face, and today was the day,” Mr Latupeirissa tells Brockie.
If you or anyone you know needs help you can contact Lifeline on 13 11 14.
