Week about giving a lifesaving gift

BRIAN Rowe enjoys his rural life, doing work around the farm, and getting involved with his local football-netball club, CFA and Landcare groups.

But in 1995, his kidneys failed due to disease, and these activities weren’t so accessible.

“I home dialysed for nearly four years, but in November 1998, I got the call to go to the Royal Melbourne Hospital, and they had a kidney for me,” he said.

Now 71 years old, Mr Rowe has been strong and healthy ever since he received an organ from a mystery donor.

“My kidney came from a deceased person, and saved me from being stuck on a machine having to dialyse three times a week for four hours,” he said. “It’s certainly changed my life.”

Through DonateLife Victoria, Mr Rowe has an ongoing connection with a nurse donation specialist, and together they participate in activities to encourage community members to sign up to the organ and tissue donation register, especially during DonateLife Week, which runs until Sunday, 31 July.

“We want people to register, and make sure they let their next of kin know that it’s their desire to donate their organs or tissue parts. A lot of it is lifesaving,” Mr Rowe said.

Bendigo Health nurse donation specialist Bradley Allan said people over the age of 16 are eligible to register.

“It only takes one minute to sign up as an organ donor potentially saving up to seven lives and help more through eye and tissue donation,” he said.

“We’d encourage people to talk with their family about their decision because in the hospital discussing organ and tissue donations can be difficult at such an emotional time as the death of a loved one.”

DonateLife saw a nine per cent decrease in the number of people able to become organ donors due to the pandemic in 2021, which meant a seven per cent decrease in the amount of people receiving transplants.

About 26 per cent of eligible people within the City of Greater Bendigo are registered to DonateLife.

A person’s age, their health, and background does not affect their ability to be an organ donor. Visit donatelife.gov.au to register within one minute.