Podcast Episode 50 - A conversation about Organ Donation
Later this month, we will mark DonateLife Week, a time that encourages all of us to have one of the most important conversations we can have with the people we love.
Organ donation is something many of us support, yet so few of us have actually spoken about our wishes with our family. And when the time comes, those conversations can make an incredibly difficult decision just a little bit easier.
On today's episode of Deadly Serious Conversations, we explore organ donation and what it means, how the process works and the extraordinary impact one person's decision can have on the lives of many others.
This particular episode is very personal to me today. And I would like to dedicate it to my beautiful Uncle Frankie…..
Frankie dedicated his whole life caring for others as a paramedic. He never smoked or drank alcohol and lived a very healthy life. Yet he developed a serious liver condition that ultimately meant he needed a liver transplant.
Our family experienced what it was like to receive an extraordinary gift from a stranger and a family who in the midst of unimaginable grief, made the most selfless decision, at a very difficult time in their lives.
The impact of that gift, gave Frankie more time with the people he loved and it gave our family memories we would otherwise never have had.
Such was the gratitude felt by Frankie’s family, that my beautiful Aunty Kay went on to set up a Charity in the UK called the Liver Support group, which provides information, practical assistance and support to people navigating liver disease and transplantation in Northern Ireland.
Today, I’m joined by Georgie from DonateLife Victoria, an organisation dedicated to saving and transforming lives through organ and tissue donation, here in Australia. Behind this work is a team of people who not only facilitate donation, but also support families through some of the hardest moments they will ever face.
This is a great conversation on organ donation……the decisions, the realities, the myths and the incredible impact one person can have.
