There are 45 people on the national waiting list for a lung transplant - and the Lowe family can testify that there is no more profound offering than the gift of life and a second chance.
Relief is evident in Gabi Lowe's tone as she talks about the recovery of her daughter, Jenna, who had a lung transplant last month.
Jenna developed a life-threatening lung condition - pulmonary arterial hypertension - and captured hearts in South Africa with her "Get me to 21" campaign. She called on people to register as organ donors to help improve her chance of celebrating her 21st birthday.
Jenna was diagnosed at 17. The disease affects the pulmonary arteries, causing high blood pressure in the lungs and enlargement of the heart.
She compared the feeling brought about by her condition to being underwater, trying to take a breath of air and feeling like she was drowning.
Lowe said that as soon as the family was told that a donor had been found Jenna flew to Johannesburg and was operated on immediately.
She is still recovering in an intensive care unit in which it is likely that she will remain for four to six months, her mother said.
The shortage of lungs for transplants in South Africa is acute.
Jooste Vermeulen, spokesman of the Organ Donor Foundation, said that for societal reasons insufficient resources were dedicated to raising awareness about organ donation.
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