Coen Ashton ready to return to Queensland Teen Coen Ashton is finally riding high. COEN Ashton has the ultimate souvenir from an 18-month stay in Victoria - a second shot at life. The teenager returns to Queensland tomorrow after spending 18 months under the care of The Alfred hospital, which has the country's only dedicated children's lung transplant service. The three-time Pride of Australia medal winner and cystic fibrosis sufferer spent 13 months on the organ waiting list before he got a transplant last year. "It still hasn't really hit that I'm going home, because all my life, I've been in and out of hospitals," Coen, 15, said after his last appointment. "But I'm looking forward to getting back to a normal life, to doing everything from skating and bike riding to being able to go to a mate's place to sleep over without having to take an oxygen tank and nebulisers," he said. But he hasn't forgotten who gave him this precious opportunity, the organ donor and their family. They are my heroes because they have given me a second chance of life. Coen recovering at The Alfred hospital. Picture: Mark Stewart His mother, Dawn, said for the first time in months Coen will be able to go back to school. We are returning with two children instead of one. But it's also a bit daunting: their home was affected by recent floods, which spared the house but destroyed belongings, including the jet ski that Coen rode 2000km to convince 1000 people to sign the organ donor registry. He now plans to complete the journey in seven days instead of seven weeks to show people the difference a transplant has made to him. The family thanked Victorians for their generosity donating gym memberships, helping them find temporary accommodation and even sending them regular fruit parcels during their stay. coenashton.com.au