Register to DonateLife this week

DONATELIFE Week is campaigning to add six million people to the Australian Organ Donor Register.

The Australian Government’s Organ and Tissue Authority encourages people across the country to consider being an organ and tissue donor, talk about it with their family and friends, and sign up.

Jennifer Vagg and Steve Kinson have both recovered from having their lungs transplanted. Ms Vagg had only 19 per cent use of her lungs before her transplant, while Mr Kinson was down to 17 percent.

“I knew I needed the lungs, but I put it off for about seven years until I had no choice,” Ms Vagg said, eight years on from her operation.

“You have to go through a series of tests to be put onto the waiting register to receive them. You do platelets every month and you wait. I only waited a month and a half, so I was very lucky, because a lot of people have to wait for 12 months.”

Having worked his whole life in one role, Mr Kinson’s health and lung capacity deteriorated so much that he had to resign. Fortunately, his time on the wait list in 2012 was even shorter.

“I’m one of the lucky ones. I was on the transplant list for 16 days,” he said. “After the transplant I had 16 odd days in a coma, 21 days in ICU and then I stayed in hospital for 31 days, but now I’m good. It’s better than the other choice.”

Organ and tissue donation is simply an amazing thing to Mr Kinson.

“It’s probably a hard decision, but the more people that sign up, the better.”

Ms Vagg values the opportunity to share her experience.

“It’s important that people see people like Steve and myself, because you can see that it’s worth it,” she said. “We can live, laugh and enjoy life now, whereas before, it was a struggle. You thought you had quality of life, but you didn’t realise how bad it was. It was a daily struggle to walk to the letter box.”

With the national average of people registered at 33 per cent, it’s understood that most Australians think organ and tissue donation is a good thing, but not many follow the process of signing up.

Ballarat Nurse Donation Specialist, Larna Woodyatt said it’s so much easier to become an organ or tissue donor than people think, and even simpler than becoming a blood donor.

“We have an online platform, and the quicker we can make it, the more people will sign up,” she said. “It takes less than a minute with your Medicare card online, and you’ll be registered. If you’re not sure if you’re registered, then you can use the same website to check.”

For more information, to register or check your registration status visit donatelife.gov.au.