Are you an organ donor? Make it a New Year’s resolution to have the chat
As 2022 kicks off, Quest Community News is partnering with DonateLife Qld to encourage Aussies to make talking about and registering as organ donors their New Year resolution.
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People die suddenly everyday, it is tragic and terrible for their loved ones but each of those people has the potential to save seven lives.
There are currently 1850 Australians on the organ transplant waiting list – hoping a matching organ is made available before its too late.
Another 13,000 are on dialysis waiting on a new kidney.
This New Year Quest Community News is partnering with DonateLife Qld to urge everyone to make talking about and registering as organ donors a New Year resolution.
It takes just 60 seconds to register via the website or app.
Just 23 per cent of eligible Ipswich residents are registered as organ donors.
Logan is slighty higher with 25 per cent registered followed by Moreton Bay with 29 per cent.
Brisbane has a higher rate of 31 per cent while Redlands has 33 per cent of eligible residents registered.
Over the next five weeks Quest Community News will share the stories of five southeast Queenslanders who are either organ recipients or family of a donor.
State Manager and Nursing Director of DonateLife Qld Tina Coco has worked in the field for 30 years.
“Somethings change and somethings don’t,” Ms Coco said.
“What doesn’t change is that people die under terrible circumstances and suddenly and families are left grieving.
“What has changed over the years is the amount of staff we now have to support families in regional areas, which we didn’t have when we first started.
“There is greater community understanding of organ and tissue donation and now we see more than 30 per cent of families offer to be a donor before they are even asked.”
Very few people have the chance to be an organ donor, just 2 per cent of people who die in an Australian hospital meet the criteria required to donate.
Ms Coco said four out of five Australians support donation but only four out of 10 families will say ‘yes’ to donation if they are unsure what their loved one wanted.
That is why it is important to take the time to discuss your wishes with your family.
One person has the potential to save seven lives through donated organs, tissue and bones.
“When someone dies families are helpless, there is nothing they can do,” Ms Coco said.
“But donating is something positive towards their grief process, especially if it is honouring the last wishes of their loved one.”
There are speciality senior ICU doctors and nurses who work all over Queensland to help families during these difficult times.
Fast Facts
Queensland Donor Statistics
- 86 Queenslanders who died last year became organ donors, saving the lives of 253 Australians.
- Challenges associated with COVID-19 resulted in small declines in both the number of transplant recipients Qlders saved (-16%) and donors (-19%) in Queensland.
- Staff worked exhaustively to develop new ways of delivering compassionate end-of-life care, and to minimise the disruption to the organ transplant program.
- The proportion of Qld families who consented to organ donation last year remained steady at 62%.
- 419 Queenslanders donated their eyes and 102 donated tissue providing lifechanging procedures to recipients.
Queensland Registration Statistics
- Almost 40,000 Queenslanders registered as potential organ donors in 2020. This was down from 48,900 in 2019.
- There are now 1.2M Queenslanders on the Australian Organ Donor Register (AODR).
- 7 in 10 Qlders support donation, but less than 1 in 3 are actually registered. We need to close this gap!
- 9 out of 10 families proceed with donation when their loved one is registered. This drops to 4 out of 10 when family don't know their loved ones wishes.
- Registration is easy and takes less than a minute at www.donatelife.gov.au with your Medicare Card number.
National Donor Statistics
- 463 deceased organ donors saved the lives of 1270 Australians in 2020.
- Despite the disruption of COVID-safe restrictions and the six-week suspension of kidney transplantation, the overall decline in people receiving their organ transplants was 12%. The number of donors decreased by 16%.
- When asked to donate, around 58% of families said 'yes' to donation.
- The long-term trend for organ donation continues to be one of growth.
“They are all so passionate about helping families,” Ms Coco said.
Ms Coco said her ultimate goal is to not have people on the waiting list die.
“The more people who register the more chance we have of reducing the waiting list. The aim is to reduce the waiting time and for no deaths on the waiting list.”
It doesn’t matter how old you are, your medical history, lifestyle or what country you are from – you can still register as an organ and tissue donor.
To register as a donor visit www.donatelife.gov.au
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