Northern Health is calling on the community to consider becoming organ and tissue donors.
DonateLife Week, which is from July 27 to August 3, is an annual national awareness period to highlight and raise awareness of the importance of organ and tissue donation.
The week aims to encourage more Australians to register their wishes to become organ and tissue donors, as well as encouraging Australians to have the conversation with their families.
Northern Health’s Northern donation specialist team comprises medical donation specialist Dr David Crosbie and nurse donation specialist Bridget Walters.
Together, they work closely with DonateLife Victoria to support families, and patients who are at end-of-life in the Intensive Care Unit at Northern Health.
In the past 12 months, five families at Northern Health said yes to organ donation. These donations saved and transformed the lives of nine recipients, and changed the lives of many others through tissue donation. Eleven families also said yes to eye donation to help restore the sight of 22 recipients.
Ms Walters said it was a great honour and privilege in her role as a nurse donation specialist to support patients and their families during a difficult time.
“It is very humbling to sit and be present with a family who often share stories and memories of their loved one, whilst feeling such grief and loss, yet find the strength and generosity to consider others by saying ‘yes’ to organ donation, and giving the ultimate gift of a second chance of life to another,” she said.
“We thank all organ and tissue donors and their families for their generosity.”
The donation specialist team continues to work collaboratively with the palliative and neurology wards, medical designated officers, Northern pathology and radiology, echocardiography and interventional cardiology to accommodate the needs of the donor patients.
In Australia, families will always be asked to support a patient’s decision before organ donation goes ahead, which is why it’s important to tell your family you want to be a donor.
Details: donatelife.gov.au
