Luka-Angel Cairns always wanted to be a dancer.
"That was my biggest dream, but I couldn't do it with my failing heart," Ms Cairns said.
The 23-year-old, of Anna Bay, had a heart transplant a decade ago.
She shared her story to mark this year's DonateLife Week campaign, which urges people to register to become an organ donor.
Ms Cairns was diagnosed with a one-in-a-million heart condition called restrictive cardiomyopathy at age six.
"I always knew I would need a transplant," Ms Cairns said.
When the time came at age 13, her health had declined considerably.
"I got the call in the middle of the night. We had to fly to Melbourne early in the morning. It was the only place doing paediatric heart transplants at that time," she said.
"The transplant didn't go very smoothly. I was put on life support for a week."
She did substantial physiotherapy for a year after the transplant to recover.
"There were lots of hard days," she said.
She put ballet shoes at the end of her hospital bed as a reminder of her dancing goals.
"My life now is completely different. The new heart works and is so good. I have no limitations."
She's been dancing for eight years.
"Organ donation is pretty cool," she said.
"My dad and my brother have had transplants as well. That adds another layer of how important organ donation is to me."
In NSW, there were 160 deceased organ donors last year, an 18 per cent rise on the previous year.
Additionally, 411 people received an organ transplant, a 17 per cent increase on the previous year.
However, registrations are falling.
Last year, 34,156 people in NSW joined the Australian Organ Donor Register, a 19 per cent fall from the previous year.
Organ donation only occurs in about two per cent of hospital deaths, as specific clinical circumstances are required.
Eight in 10 families agree to organ donation when they know their family member was a registered donor.
About 1800 Australians are on the transplant waiting list, with a further 14,000 on dialysis.
More than 50 people die each year waiting for an organ transplant.
NSW Health Minister Ryan Park said "my message this DonateLife Week is simple: register and tell your family".
"Behind every donation is a family who said yes at a very hard moment of their lives, and another family who gets more time with the person they love," Mr Park said.
NSW Organ and Tissue Donation Service medical director Michael O'Leary said "not everyone who dies can become a donor".
"Our teams work to identify every possible opportunity while maintaining strict clinical and ethical standards," Dr O'Leary said.
"When someone is registered and their family knows their wishes, families almost always say yes. The kindest thing you can do for the people you love is make your decision clear."
Ms Cairns is forever grateful that a family said yes to organ donation when she needed a new heart.
"I am here because of them. Every milestone I have reached since belongs partly to them," she said.
Registering takes about one minute with a Medicare card at donatelife.gov.au, or through the Service NSW app.
