Why I became an organ donor this week

'It was quick and painless, as I intend my departure from this planet to be'

One of our journalists was so moved by the stories he heard this week, he decided to put his name on the organ donor register. . Picture: Hannah Busch

OPINION: As nothing more than mortal beings, we are all marching to our inevitable death.

• After a double lung transplant, Jane has a new lease on life

Now that I have your attention, it is time to preach about an issue which gets very little attention from the Australian public - donating your organs and tissue.

This week was DonateLife Week and while many have held barbeques, fun-runs and other social events to raise awareness, many Australians would be ignorant to the issue.

And do not feel bad if you don't know how important it is for more people to register as organ donors - I had no idea how desperate it was until I researched it this week.

There are currently an estimated 1400 Australians in need of an organ or tissue transplant, but it is not as simple as finding a donor.

The organ or the tissue needs to be compatible with the recipient, as Tweed Heads woman Jane Clare found out 13 years ago when she needed a double-lung transplant due to her condition, cystic fibrosus.

Jane was just 40kg at the time of her operation in 2006, due to years of struggling to eat food because of the pain it would cause her.

So a pair of fully-sized lungs were never going to fit in her frame, so she required the lungs of a teenager.

Jane is one of the lucky ones who not only had the successful life-saving surgery, but waited a comparatively short time to have the operation.

I spoke with Jane this week and hearing her story and how just one person being on the Australian Organ Donor Register changed her life, prompted me to sign up.

To be honest I didn't think much of it when I signed up (it only took a minute) and to be fair I do not think much thought will be given to it.

The effects of being on the list will not be felt until I am gone, and I am not to fussed with what happens with my body once the after life comes calling.

That might be a morbid way to think of it, but there surely cannot be a more humane act on this planet, then offering yourself to someone in need once you have shuffled off the proverbial mortal coil.

To sign up took just a minute online and all it needed was my Medicare Card.  

It was quick and painless, as I intend my departure from this planet to be, but another name added to the register is another strand of hope for someone who copped a rougher deal in life than I did.