'Forever young' Warrnambool woman Josie Pinheiro saves four lives

Josie Pineheiro, 17, died of suicide in February.

On Tuesday, her mother Tash Lambert was advised that Josie's donated organs had saved four lives.

Ms Lambert said that knowledge brought her some comfort and made her realise she had made the right decision to donate her daughter's organs.

"A teenage girl has received a double lung transplant, a woman has received a liver transplant, a man has received a combined pancreas/kidney transplant and another woman has received a kidney transplant," Ms Lambert said.

She said she knew her daughter would have wanted to help others.

"I knew straight away when they asked me about organ donation at the hospital that Josie would love to help other people," Ms Lambert said.

"I'm happy to know that she is saving lives but at the same time I wish I could wake up from this nightmare."

Ms Lambert said she shared her daughter's story about her battle with mental health issues and being placed on a waiting list to see a counsellor in the hope it would save lives.

"Hopefully sharing her story will save another teenager from going to that dark place that Josie found herself in," she said.

Ms Lambert said she was an advocate for organ donation and was comforted by the fact that there were parts of Josie that were continuing to help others.

"I would encourage everyone to become an organ donor and save lives," she said.

Ms Lambert, her partner Paul Hayward and their children Tiyler, Kane, Felix and Oscar speak about Josie every day.

"We were given a candle by a friend who said to light it every day that we think of Josie," she said.

"We will be lighting it every day."

Ms Lambert told The Standard last week she felt let down by the health system.

She said her daughter, who was suffering from mental health issues, would visit a doctor to get a referral for 10 free sessions with a counsellor.

However, once these sessions were completed, she would need to return to the doctor for another referral.

"Her words to me were 'whenever I get a counsellor, they leave me'," Ms Lambert said.

"Every time she got a new referral, she had to see a new counsellor."

Ms Lambert said her daughter became frustrated at this and didn't want to see a new counsellor.

If you or someone you know is experiencing an emotional crisis, call Lifeline on 13 11 14.

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