Denise Joniec, from Vermont South, wants more people to register as organ donors, just as her husband Richard did

THE pain of Denise Joniec’s husband’s passing is eased by the knowledge that his organs went on to save the lives of others.

Denise Joniec with a picture her husband Richard, who donated his organs to save the lives of others after he passed away. Picture Norm Oorloff

THE pain of Denise Joniec’s husband’s passing is eased by the knowledge that he went on to save the life of others.

Mrs Joniec and husband Richard, of Vermont South, were on the holiday of a lifetime in 2013, two days in to a cruise on the Pacific which was a joint birthday celebration for several family members, when tragedy struck.

Richard, an otherwise fit and healthy man who was just days away from his 61st birthday suffered a brain haemorrhage and had to be rushed off the ship to a hospital in Noumea.

A care flight was then arranged for him to return to Knox Hospital, where his devastated family were eventually told “he was too far gone” and that they had make the decision about turning his life support machines off.

Mrs Joniec said she and Richard had always talked about organ donation, and when it was clear he wouldn’t survive, staff at the hospital started to ask them about it too.

Mrs Joniec said there was never any doubt they would donate Richard’s organs, but didn’t quite realise what an involved process it would be when the time came, a process which she admitted was difficult but necessary to go through.

Richard’s lungs and both kidneys were donated, which saved the lives of three people.

A joint decision was made by the family not to donate his heart and eyes, and his liver was unable to be passed on due to the antibiotics in his system, but Mrs Joniec said with the benefit of hindsight, she probably would have chosen to donate more, now knowing just what a difference it can make.

She said when matches for the right recipients were first found, Richard’s salt levels were too high and they had to put harvesting the organs off until they got the levels right.

“We had to make the decision then to either go ahead with the donations or not, and I thought about those people sitting there waiting for an extra chance at life, so we waited,’’ she said.

“It was a hard 24 hours, but looking back now knowing three people all got a second chance, and we’ve had letters from the recipients, we know it was all worth it. The person who got his lungs would have died the next week,” Mrs Joniec said.

Mrs Joniec said on Richard’s birthday every year since his passing, they have urged other friends and family to consider registering to become organ donors.

She said the next of kin could still overrule a decision at the time of death, which is why she said it was vital to talk about it, make wishes know and register.

“I just don’t understand why all people don’t do it,” she said.

“All of my family have signed up, I think about 100 people I know all up. People really just need to make sure they talk about it.”

Mrs Joniec said Richard’s birthday this year could be made that bit sweeter, as she had her first grandchild due around the same time.

“It would be great if it was Richard’s birthday, it will be a very bittersweet time,” she said.

In 2015, 126 Victorians donated 406 organs after death, compared with 117 Victorians in 2014. There are 1500 people in Australia waiting for a transplant.

The DonateLife Week campaign, which runs from July 31 to August 7, is urging all Australians to join the Australian Organ Donor Register.

Less than a third of Australian adults are on the national donor register, despite the majority of Australians being willing to donate.

Registering leaves family members in no doubt of a deceased person’s wishes.

In 2015, organ donation proceeded in 91 per cent of cases where the deceased was a registered donor.

This dropped to 52 per cent if the deceased was not registered and the family had no prior knowledge of their wishes.

To register to become a donor, visit donatelife.gov.au/decide