DonateLife National Day of Remembrance pays tribute to organ donors

A Tasmanian mum has described her journey with organ donation following the death of her daughter, as she reveals how a passion project is helping other families of loved ones who have donated their organs.

Sue Banks is a grandmother whose daughter Shelley died in 2018 and donated her organs to save the lives of five people who received transplants, Sue now makes handmade quilts as a gift to many donor families. Picture Chris Kidd

After the swift and unexpected death of her daughter, Sue Banks felt empty inside.

However, after her family decided to donate Shelley Banks-Kelly’s organs, she said there was a ray of light in the knowledge that with her death came new life for five other people.

Now, two years on, Ms Banks does her part to help others through the grief of losing a loved one.

“We were in a terrible place because it was so terribly unexpected,” Ms Banks said. “We were all devastated. She’s got three children and they were teenagers at the time.

“I think the only bit of light that came through at all — and it was a terrible, dark place — was DonateLife.”

The family decided to go ahead with donation. But leaving the hospital on the day of her daughter’s death was still heartbreaking.

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Sue Banks is a grandmother whose daughter Shelley died in 2018 and donated her organs to save the lives of 5 people who received transplants, Sue now makes handmade quilts as a gift to many donor families. Picture Chris Kidd

“I felt like I was leaving everything behind,” Ms Banks said. “I had nothing, and it was a terrible moment, just awful. The recipients have the greatest gift of all — the gift of life. But donor families walk through those doors and they have nothing.”

Shelley had been a passionate quilter, and this sparked an idea: “Maybe I could make a quilt that we could hand them as they left, something that they could wrap themselves up in and be wrapped in love,” she said.

She soon teamed up with Shelley’s best friend, Darren, and a few other friends to begin creating quilts. They later called the project Shelley’s Hearts. Last year the group donated 46 quilts to the families of organ donors.

Ms Banks said hearing from the recipients of her daughter’s organs was very special.

“The most beautiful thing happened this year, when DonateLife forwarded a card from the recipient of Shelley’s heart,” she said.

She said the person who had received it had no hope, and now they had a new life – even now able to go travelling overseas. “I just imagined Shelley was there then, and that they were off doing it together,” she said. “We feel like she’s still out there.”

DonateLife Australia today holds its annual service to honour all organ and tissue donors. It will be hosted on the DonateLife Australia Facebook page from 3pm.

Participants can light a candle at home and join in for a special tribute. To register as an organ and tissue donor, visit donatelife.gov.au.