Coen Ashton | Public figure

Coen Ashton

Phone: Dawn 0400 971 071

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25.01.2022 Merry Christmas. Enjoy every moment because these occasions that we share with family and friends are precious. We are in our home town of Maryborough, QLD this year. Where are you?

25.01.2022 Hey its Kai again, Just wanted to say it is my idea to tell you about my side of the story. The way I see it is its now my turn to take on the roll of Coen, although I may do it a little different its now my story to tell. I would also like to thank everyone for the support I never thought I would have not only now but all throughout my life. The people that took care of me when Mum and Dad were in hospital with Coen, the kind people that often sent/send me messages making sure I was okay and the people I never thought I would never see again (Coen’s friends) that played a huge part of my life and yet still come visit every now and then even without Coen physically being here. I appreciate all of it and it means the world to me. I’m different to Coen, this video shows one way in which I’m different.

23.01.2022 I haven’t been able to read all the posts that were left from Friday. I will, as I always do, read every single one. Last week was challenging with it being Coen’s 2 years and in a twist of fate that night I had to drive past the adult hospital AND children’s hospital he attended. The next day I was filming for The Impotance of Cystic Fibrosis where we discussed everything about Coen, CF and even his death. It was a very long 48 hours where every turn bought up a new memory. Now is a new week and time to get focused back onto what Coen taught us all. Think positive! I rarely do this, here’s a couple of photos from Coen’s younger years.

22.01.2022 Here is a short video of Coen’s story. YABA made the video for the intranet used in many schools around Australia. When students choose to study Coen as an inspirational Australian, this is one of the videos they can watch. It also features Coen’s little brother Kai.

22.01.2022 Hello, I’m Kai, Coen’s little brother. As my Mum, Dawn,has not posted in a while I thought I should take over. I’ll talk about how Life After Death is through my eyes and the big impacts it’s had on my day to day life. Would you like to hear about that?

22.01.2022 The man pictured is Wayne Fenton. He saved my son’s life. Sounds dramatic but that is what he and his family did. Wayne’s family knew that he would have agreed to be an organ donor. Wayne’s family knew Coen was the recipient even before the surgery took place. They had given the consent for donation to take place and were walking outside to take a moment before saying their final goodbyes. As they walked though the emergency department, a child on oxygen was wheeled into the ...adults hospital. For Wayne’s family it was a surreal moment in time. Today is special because Wayne would be 50. Wayne was 42 when he donated his lungs to Coen who was 15. Many people believe that they are too old to donate when they reach a certain age. For more than a year Coen waited for compatible lungs, he was out of options. If he didn’t receive a set of lungs he was going to die. That’s when Wayne came into Coen’s life. Coen would joke that he should be allowed into night clubs and drink because a part of him was over 18. My donor, my Hero

21.01.2022 All the kids in this photo have Cystic Fibrosis. All have died except for one. The eldest was Coen at 20. That is the reality of Cystic Fibrosis.

21.01.2022 My last post was how I felt just a few months after Coen passed away. I will express how I feel now. Two and a half years has gone passed and still every day I think of Coen. Sometimes for inspiration and other times just because its still hard to believe he’s gone. Even after not seeing him for two and a half years I feel so close with him still that when something that I’m excited about I still cant wait to tell him until I realise For instance the other day I was at a s...wimming hole that Coen would have loved and I left my ring that was once Coen’s there so we had to go back that night to look for it. It was about 8 o’clock and the moon was hidden by the trees so it was pitch black. I found my ring laying in the grass under the tree where I took it off. Then I decided to go off the rope swing into the water while it was pitch black. Although I had done it before and new it was safe being pitch black brought fear. I went ahead and did it anyway, I was so proud of myself that I actually did it that when I got in the car I thought to myself about how I couldn’t wait to get home to tell Coen what I did.

21.01.2022 Today marks 2 years since Coen left us. Mark, Kai and myself are thinking of all the stories, adventures and crazy things Coen had us doing. One was when he decided he was going to ride a camel from Brisbane to Cairns. We managed to convince him not to (it took some time) and so he convinced us into jet skiing the Murray River instead (the first time). Another time he was admitted to hospital and the student doctors were coming around to give their 'diagnosis' of patients. ... Coen put his 4 year old brother in the bed with an oxygen mask on (the innocent look of Kai's wide eyes over the mask was priceless). The students came in and started examining Kai and were getting all flustered. Coen could barely contain himself sitting on the visitors chair like a concerned brother. He was busted when the examiner walked in the door wanting to know why an easy to diagnose CF couldn't be picked by 5 students. At the end of his talk to 6000 students (I think it was in Sydney) and still on stage Coen got his phone out and told everyone to cheer as loud as they could while he recorded it on his phone. It bought the house down with the sound and the organisers were having a breakdown on what Coen was up to since it wasn’t in the schedule. Fill this page with your stories/memories of Coen, where you saw him when he inspired you most or how he changed your perspective on life.

20.01.2022 From Channel Ten’s, The Project... It’s two years today since we lost our mate, Coen Ashton. Coen was a passionate advocate for organ donation and in the words of his mum Coen had an extra five years thanks to a family who had the thoughtfulness to make a difference to another family.

19.01.2022 Sir Coen, Happy Birthday. Our donor, our Hero...always.

18.01.2022 Filming for The Impotance of Cystic Fibrosis has begun... Thanks so much to Dawn for taking part in our documentary Importance of Cystic Fibrosis. What a day, Dawn was an amazing speaker with lots to tell, and for her to share her son Coen’s story with us was an absolute privilege. ... It’s clear where Coen got his strength from and it’s certainly something to admire! We look forward to sharing this with you all! Importance Of Cystic Fibrosis Creative Studio

18.01.2022 We have a unique opportunity for a live-in high school teacher for the remainder of 2020. Kai is in year 9 and enrolled with distance education. The roll will be assisting him with his studies. Our new family member must have the ability to travel Queensland long term and like big boats. As you know, the Ashtons are always up to something. This position is not paid but will provide accommodation, meals and a carefree, adventurous lifestyle. Currently located in Maryborough, QLD. Contact us via PM. Note: We respect travel restrictions that are currently in place.

12.01.2022 I kinda miss the hospital trips, as for me that was what I used to look forward to the most. Getting home from school and going to the hospital to see Coen. Now that we don’t visit hospitals that often which is something I never thought I would miss. I do as it was like a second home for me. I know Coen said that to, but it was probably more so home for him and real home was like his second home as he spent more time in then out. I enjoyed riding around on all the wheelcha...irs and running up and down all 10 levels of the hospital going to see if someone had left some change in the vending machines. I made a lot of money off doing that surprisingly and I found a few drinks and a packet of chips one time that someone paid for but had not taken. Every time I found a drink or a packet of chips I ran back to Coen’s hospital bed and made a tough decision on if I wanted to keep it for myself or give it to Coen, for some reason I always gave it to Coen. Even after all his visitors would come bring him KFC and Hungry Jacks and I always felt left out when that happened, I still gave Coen what I had. For me at that time it was like giving someone a $100. You really wanted it but you knew that if you gave it away even if they didn’t appreciate it, it would still make you feel better and like a person again.

11.01.2022 On Australia Day in 2016 Coen was awarded Young Citizen of the Year for his work in promoting organ donation. Coen and his younger brother Kai were so excited. One of the many major highlights in Coen’s life.

11.01.2022 Edit to post: This shows how I don’t count the days. Coen’s 3 years is tomorrow. Mark had me check his tattoo on his back for the date. Lol. I’ll leave this post up... It’s been 3 years since we last saw Coen. It still seems so surreal. Our lives have changed immeasurably in that 3 years. Hospitals and medications are no longer apart of our lives and there is so much spare time which was once filled with treatments. There will always be an empty seat at the table and I still... occasionally take 4 plates instead of 3 from the pile. Yet so much has happened in 3 years. Kai is over 6 foot tall with a 6 pack stomach (not as good as Coen’s but Kai doesn’t cough all day to get his). Kai is planning a massive snowboarding trek over some mountain range in Japan in the coming years. Mark and I travel as much as possible. Something we were so restricted with before. My moto when it comes to Coen is ‘There are no regrets’. He lived life and I’m so pleased we allowed him to. He took us on a journey and it far exceeded any adventure we dreamt up when he was first born and before he was diagnosed with Cystic Fibrosis. I have put comments in under the photos as I couldn’t caption them.

10.01.2022 I have always loved Christmas time and gone to a lot of effort to be around family. This year however Mark needed to have his gall bladder removed and 5 days before Christmas was the only time it could be done. He is recovering well but definitely very sore. I have submersed myself in work, it’s a great distraction at this time of year from thoughts of missing loved ones. Kai has cracked 6 foot at the age of 14! Being an only child now I believe he feels the ‘only-ness’. To combat that we have recruited a new family member, an English Staffy puppy who he has called Drift. She has already chewed her way through his computer cable and PlayStation controller. So a quiet one for us this year. We do have some very big exciting plans for 2020 though.

09.01.2022 Thank you Sarah for sharing these photos with me from when Coen jet skies the Murray river. I love when people send me these memories... 6 years ago Jazmyn was blessed to meet and spend time with the amazing Coen Ashton. This is something that as a family we will treasure forever. Cystic Fibrosis awareness is very important to us so for Jazmyn to be able to spend time with her hero one on one was magical.... Coen Ashton Foundation See more

08.01.2022 Each child from yesterday’s post has a different Cystic Fibrosis (CF) journey. See the caption under the photo for each one. Add your story with a picture.

08.01.2022 Halloween has a special meaning to us. It is the day, 7 years ago, when Wayne saved Coen's life and Coen received a double lung transplant. The photos below follow a timeline with the last photo of our Hero, Wayne Fenton. Be sure to read the captions. My donor, my Hero Before you go to the photos... Coen had been on the transplant list for over a year when we were told the next set of compatible lungs had to go to him as time was running out. They would cut the lungs to s...ize if they needed to....which they did. On the 31st of October another family was receiving the worst possible news. In their time of grief they made a decision that would prevent another family from going through what they were going though, and they knew that Wayne would have agreed. A Coen story... On the day of the transplant, as Coen was being wheeled to the theatre he laughed as he said to the nurses 'If I wake up after the operation and you are all wearing Halloween costumes, how will I know if I'm alive or dead?.'

05.01.2022 Today is Coen’s 23rd birthday. Kai, Coen’s younger brother, has written this... Coen is still involved in all the decisions I make. I think of what he would have done and what would make him happy, because making Coen happy is what makes me happy. ... I want to share a memory of a time he inspired me, not with anything important just say to say problems and ways of thinking. We were sailing out at Lady Mustgrave Island, the water was crystal clear to the point it looked as if I could touch the bottom if I swam down. However it was still 10 metres deep. Coen hung his hammock under the front of the boat from one side to the middle and had the hammock dangling over the water. I asked him to tie mine up the same. He did willingly and then climbed down into his. I could only just reach into mine and was scared I was going to fall out into the water. I was young and scared of being in the water by myself. He assured me that if I fell in, before I even got back up to the surface, he would be in after me. He then helped me climb down into the hammock and waited for me to feel comfortable before he went back to his. Although I didn’t think much of it at the time the more I think of that time the more I want to better myself as a person. Coen was so patient with me. It’s only recently I’ve realised all the times Coen took that little extra bit of time for people, just to listen and help. I’ve had many dreams about Coen, many nights waking up in tears, many nights waking up smiling and just proud that Coen was my brother. Like the amount of people he inspired, how he inspired me. It’s insane what he achieved, and I lived with that person. I got to have a relationship like nobody else did with him. When people asked if I have siblings I’m vague about it, not because I don’t want to say anything, it’s a long story to explain. But if they want to hear the stories I will say them with pride. That’s the way Coen taught me. Say things your proud of, learn from the things your not and live with the person you are. Not only does that make you a happier person, it encourages you to continue to keep good morals and have ethical values. I love you bro, and there’s not a day I don’t wish I could tell you about something that happened or do something cool with you. I still tell you, if you hear it or not is not for me to determine. Kai Anybody who was going to give Coen a present I am more than happy to accept them, as a honour to Coen, definitely not because I want presents. Lol.

03.01.2022 6 years ago we took off on a 2000km jet ski run up the Murray River. Coen said he was going to do it in 7 days, and we did! A crew of 12 people, a truck and 3 vehicles, $1,200 of fuel per day, and a hell of a lot of fun. It was one of the most successful national organ donor campaigns in Australia with over 14 million Australians hearing about it.

01.01.2022 This is something I wrote a few months after Coen passed away. I didn’t talk about it much before I wrote this so this leaves a few things out that still hurt to much to say however I will post those soon as I’ve had time to heal and can freely talk about it now. Coen most people don’t understand how much pain I’m going through with out you even though I didn’t see you much in the last few weeks. At least I knew you were going to come home now, I know your not. You weren’t j...ust my brother you were my best friend and I would admit that to anyone. I love you more then Mum and dad put together. You were the person I could feel like a real idiot with and not even care. I plan to take on your passion for the world and keep your dreams alive. Not only the one of kombis and jet skies but also making a good change in this world. A kid I met today said if I had 3 wishes what would I do and I said 1 get Coen back 2 make him better 3 get a ford raptor which is my dream car. Then she said what if you only have 2 and I said 1 Coen back 2 him to be better then the hard question that had me thinking a lot she said if you only have one wish what would it be and I said, For my goals in life to be achieved. I didn’t wish Coen back because of a talk my grandma I had one day when I was feeling down, it was about how much we didn’t want Coen back, this may sound weird at first. I said I want him back more then anything but after that talk it changed my way of thinking. She said to me I don’t want him back one bit unless he was healthy of course, but here is why, because I don’t want him to put him back In all that pain. The last few months was just cruel so cruel in fact that it made me sick. Now I think In my down time about completing my life as well as Coens and what I have to achieve to get there. I would like to see him just one last time, one last time to thank him, to tell him I love him and to say you owe me $10 for losing a bet. (The bet was if he was going to outlive our pet rats at the time). I wanna show Coen what I can do in this world and that I will make a change one way or another. See more