When Ingrid Laing was born, the outlook for kids with cystic fibrosis was bleak.
Her parents were told she might make it to 20 if she was lucky.
But 42 years on - thanks to significant advancements in medical research, including a double lung transplant - Ingrid is still here.
She is one of the few people with CF to survive this long.
"I'm just so relieved because she is still with us and I am incredibly proud," Ingrid's Mum Gail said.
Cystic fibrosis is a genetic condition where the body produces abnormally thick mucus, which builds up in a person's lungs, causing irreversible damage.
Growing up, Ingrid watched many people she knew lose their battle with the condition.
"It was so hard watching my friends with CF die. I felt like we had been all been fighting along side each other and then they were taken too early before they had really started to live," Ingrid said.
"One little girl was only 8 years old. It shook me up, knowing I had the same condition."
While today, Ingrid feels healthier than ever, the road to this point has been far from easy.
"She was diagnosed at 36 hours of age, so that meant immediate surgery. She spent time in Princess Margaret, in a humidity crib, had her hair shaved off," Gail said.
As Ingrid grew older, the damage to her lungs increased and the hospital visits became more frequent and more prolonged.
But despite spending a large chunk of her childhood in hospital, Ingrid still managed to excel at school and when it came time to choose her career path, there was one obvious choice.
"I guess I got interested in science and genetics as a result of that knowledge I had as a child of my condition. So I went off to university to do science," Ingrid said.
Today, Ingrid - who is now known as Dr Laing - is a respiratory researcher at the Telethon Kids Institute.
She works with the Australian Respiratory Early Surveillance Team for Cystic Fibrosis (AREST CF), which is leading the world in cystic fibrosis research.
"25 years ago Ingrid wouldn't have been alive to do this research," cystic fibrosis researcher, Professor Stephen Stick said. "The fact that she is in her 40's… and is able to contribute at such a high level is remarkable and it's a testament to the improvements in management that has happened over the last few decades."
But there was a point where Ingrid and her family thought she wouldn't make it.
In 2011, her health took a turn for the worse and she was told by doctors that she would need a double lung transplant to survive.
She flew to Sydney to begin the agonising wait for a transplant.
"Knowing that she was going off to Sydney, if and when she would get a transplant that was heartbreaking," Gail said.
But five weeks later, Ingrid got the transplant she desperately needed.
"That's really transformed my life," Ingrid said. "I don't have the feeling of ill health that I had before. It still needs management, I still have to look after it. I have to adjust to having a new life but it's still a pretty amazing experience."
"Post-transplant has just been amazing. I remember the first time she walked upstairs outside the hospital, was such a thrill for her and for us to see her like that," Gail said.
Today, Ingrid is back at the Telethon Kids Institute to continue her goal, which is to extend the life expectancy of kids born with her condition.
A baby born today is expected to live until 45 years of age. Ingrid and the Arest CF team want to extend that by another 20 years.
"I really just hope to contribute. I don't expect to win a Nobel price. I just want to contribute to a team that makes a difference to children's lives," Ingrid said.