plea to help save a life: Darwin hockey hero remembered with dad’s 500 blood donations

After his son Karl Berry died from a snake bite, Ian Berry said his last wish saved many lives. For the last 12 years, Ian has been trying to save more.

Twice in his life, Ian Berry has seen the lifesaving impact of blood, plasma and organ donations.

Once was during his navy days when a tow ship exercise 400 miles from Sydney went horribly wrong.

A heavy cable snapped, whipped back and cut off a man’s legs.

Thankfully a doctor on board rapidly called anyone with A positive blood to muster at the sick bay and started an auto transfusion saving the man’s life.

The second time, he said, was when his son Karl became an organ donor.

When asked what organs his son donated, the 74-year-old answered, “All of them”.

His son, Karl Berry, was an avid hockey player in Darwin.

Alongside his twin brother Martin, Karl would be on or beside the hockey pitch most nights and played for the Commerce-Pints club since 1997.

As a 26-year-old, Karl would run the 4km distance from their family home in Parap to the hockey field with his bag on his back.

Karl Berry was a Darwin hockey player who died after being bitten by a snake in 2013.

He would play a game, umpire the next and play one more game before again running home afterwards.

“He was Mr Hockey,” said Ian.

But on April 23, 2013, during a training session, one of the young players found and picked up a little snake.

When Karl saw this, he grabbed the reptile off the young boy and chucked it outside but in doing so, got bitten on his finger.

“He didn’t know it I don’t think,” said his dad.

“But straight after that, he went for a 2km run and collapsed into a culvert and smashed his head.”

After Karl failed to return, a group found him collapsed and hurt and called for an ambulance but by Anzac Day, the young player was pronounced brain dead.

‘Six people lived because of Karl, he’s our little hero’

It was a devastating moment which immediately plummeted their family into a tumultuous and heartbreaking time, but Ian said there was one step that was clear.

As a family, Ian and the boys had often made donations at blood banks together making it a competition to see who could donate the fastest and also put down their names for kidney transplants.

Ian Berry, the dad of Darwin hockey player Karl Berry, has made over 500 blood and plasma donations in 30 years.

“So we were well aware of Karl’s desires when we did lose him,” said Ian, aged 74.

“Once we were told that he was brain dead, I think DonateLife were already on their way down but we asked for them before they got there because we knew his desire.”

Karl was kept on life support for five days at Royal Darwin Hospital ICU as teams got ready to transport the needed organs to donors interstate.

In the end, Karl successfully donated to six people.

“The light at the end of the tunnel was the fact that he would donate,” said Ian.

“He successfully donated to six people so they’ve had a better life because of him.

“You’ve got to look at it that way.

“He donated his organs he’s our little hero.”

Remembering Karl with every donation and rumble of thunder

After Karl’s death, many hockey players across Darwin put their name on the donor list and Ian started doing talks at service clubs to raise awareness.

Often helping answer questions like if the organ harvesting process disfigures the bodies of loved ones and talking about the impact, Ian has become an advocate.

“My message is quite simple: communicate, communicate, communicate,” he said.

“Make sure family and friends are aware of it, your employer, all those people that may have an influence.

“With DonateLife you can be on the register but if one of the immediate family grouping don’t want it to happen, it doesn’t.”

Ian has continued to do his part having been inspired by his son’s ultimate sacrifice, his wife’s former career as a highly trained nurse at Royal Darwin Hospital and his navy career.

L-R: Bill Daw, Australia Red Cross director for NT, Charles Burkitt, board chair at Australia Red Cross, Health Minister, Steve Edgington, and donor Bruce Mann, donor Ian Berry and Emma McMullan Australia Red Cross director for national collections operation at the 25-year celebration of Darwin Donor Centre in Casuarina.

He was recently recognised for making over 500 donations of blood and plasma over the last 30 years at Darwin Donor Centre.

Speaking at the centre’s 25-year anniversary, Ian said, every fortnight staff have “a go at stabbing” him.

“Staff are like extended family now,” he said.

“They do a bloody brilliant job.”

In Australia, one in three people will need blood in their lifetime but only one in 30 people actually donate.

As a relentless advocator, Ian is painfully aware of the statistics and often takes convinced first timers along with him to his fortnightly donations and encourages anyone who has thought about it to give it a go.

Ian Berry (right) said during the Wet Season in the Top End, he and his wife Judy often pretend to shout at Karl.

“The bottom line is, a couple of hours of my time, that’s a small price to pay for keeping people alive,” he said.

As for Karl, Ian said even 12 and half years on, the young man who would bang a ball against any spare wall still gets the odd parenting moment during Wet Season.

“Like all hockey players, if he could find a wall with his bat and ball [it would be] bam bam smash,” said Ian.

“So anytime we get thunder we tell him to shut up give over.”

Click on the following links to find out more about the Darwin Donor Centre or registering to be an organ donor.

Originally published as plea to help save a life: Darwin hockey hero remembered with dad’s 500 blood donations