Page 602 - Week 02 - Thursday, 17 February 2005
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Australians have been receiving life-giving organ transplants such as heart, lung, liver, kidney and pancreas, as well as tissue transplants, including corneas—eye tissue—heart valve, skin and bone tissue since 1965. In fact, every year, the sight of more than 500 people is restored due to corneal transplants. To date, more than 30,000 men, women and children have received life-saving or life-enhancing transplants. I urge everyone to discuss organ donation with their friends and family. It is a very personal decision, but one that should be thought about seriously and discussed openly.
I thought it would be fitting to end today with two short extracts, one from an organ donor’s family and one from an organ recipient’s family. The first is an extract from Michelle’s story, as told by her sister Marnie on the organ donation network website.
My sister Michelle was beautiful and so full of life that I know she would have wanted to donate her organs to enable others to experience just a small amount of what she loved so much. Although it was a difficult time for us as a family, we knew that we would support her wish to become a donor.
Michelle was an experienced skydiver who had made almost 400 jumps, but everything changed when she was caught in a crosswind whilst trying to land. She was taken to the hospital where tests showed the extent of her injuries and she passed away as a result. Michelle was 33 years old.
I believe her becoming an organ donor helped me with the grieving process because it keeps her spirit alive. When I tell people about her donation, it inspires them. Everyone who can should register as a donor and make sure their family knows their wishes. As I say to my friends, if you would accept an organ to save your life, you should be prepared to donate one.
The second is an extract from Sophie’s story, as told by her mother:
After an enjoyable and uneventful pregnancy, I gave birth to our little princess Sophie Victoria in August 2001. At six weeks of age they discovered she had a condition known as biliary atresia, where the bile ducts become blocked, leading to cirrhosis of the liver and, ultimately, death. She was officially listed for transplant at the age of five months.
What followed was six months of pain and uncertainty, watching helplessly as our little angel became sicker by the day. During this time she was admitted to hospital 17 times. As the months crept by and as she came closer to her first birthday, our family started to panic as we had been told she was unlikely to live past her first year.
Finally, just weeks short of her first birthday, our prayers were answered. Her transplant operation lasted nine hours, after which she spent four days in ICU. From that day on our lives have been a whirlwind as Sophie went from strength to strength. After just three weeks in total in hospital, she was allowed to go home. Now life couldn’t be better. Sophie has gone from a cranky and sick little girl who never smiled and couldn’t even roll over to a happy, vibrant, cheeky toddler who refuses to walk when she can run. She’s absolutely bursting with life and energy to the point that strangers are often floored to discover her past when they meet her.
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