Organ donor plea to young South Australians

Young South Australians are being urged to register as organ donors and have conversations with their families, to help save lives should the unthinkable happen.

While South Australia significantly leads the nation in organ donation registration, only 40 per cent of South Australians aged 16 to 24 are on the register, compared with 70 to 84 per cent for older age groups.

South Australia is the only state where people can register on the Australian Organ Donor Registry through their driver's licence. Anyone aged 16 or over can register.

Because of our driver’s licence scheme, South Australia leads the nation with 74 percent of eligible people registering their wish to become an organ donor. That is more than twice the national average.

In addition, more than half of all 16 to 17-year-olds on the national register are from South Australia.

Advocates want more young South Australians to sign up and talk to their families about their wishes.

One organ donor can save the lives of up to seven people and change the lives of many more through eye and tissue donation.

Adelaide father and organ donation advocate Oren Klemich lost his 18-year-old son Jack to Meningococcal disease 16 years ago.

Just months earlier, Jack had had a conversation with his mum about organ donation and signed up.

Five of his organs were donated and he saved the lives of four Australians.

Mr Klemich is urging others to register and have that important conversation with their families.

43-year-old Dimitri Tsekinis is just one South Australian who is living proof of the impact a donor can have.

Born with polycystic kidney disease, he received a living-donor kidney from his mother in 2010, and then a liver from a stranger in 2016.

For a while, Dimitri's health was so critical he said goodbye to his family. Now, he is a healthy father-of-five and a DonateLife supporter. With a cousin who is also a recipient, Dimitri devotes time to speaking with young people about organ donation choices.

More than 1,800 Australians are waiting for an organ transplant but sadly in the past five years, more than 200 have died waiting. An additional 14,000 on dialysis for kidney failure might also benefit from a transplant.

Families have the final decision in organ donation which is why it’s so important for people to register and talk to their loved ones. When people are registered, eight out of ten families give consent for the organ donation, but that drops to four out of ten if the family is not aware of their relative’s intentions.

The plea for more young South Australians in particular to become organ donors comes ahead of national DonateLife week later this month.

People can register on the DonateLife website, through their driver’s licence registration or renewal, or through Medicare.

Quotes

Attributable to Chris Picton

South Australians should be proud of the fact that we lead the nation in organ donation registration. Our sign-up rate is more than double the national average.

There is no doubt this is helped by our unique system of being able to register when you get or renew your driver’s licence.

We’re urging even more South Australians – particularly young people – to register to give the gift of life to others. Getting your driver’s licence is the perfect opportunity to sign up.

Of course, no young person or their family wants to imagine the worst happening at the wheel, but having those serious conversations about responsibility on the roads is the perfect time to talk about the amazing gift of organ donation.

Attributable to DonateLife SA Medical Director, Dr Stewart Moodie

Talk to your family, have that conversation. Time and again we see that it helps a family in the midst of their devastation when the person has registered and discussed their wishes.

This is particularly important for the family of a young person, where they see that their tragedy can do such good.

Attributable to Oren Klemich, father of organ donor

Our gorgeous son Jack was pronounced dead 16 years ago having contracted Meningococcal disease. He was 18 years old, studying Year 12.

He had registered as an organ donor through his driver’s licence registration. At the time of registering, he had asked his mother, ‘Mum, what’s organ donation?’ Her reply was, ‘If something horrible happens to you, the doctors can give your organs to someone else.’

Jack ticked the box to register, and sadly, several months later, he died. Five of his organs were received by four people around Australia. Jack saved the lives of four Australians. Sixteen years on, three are still alive today.

Losing Jack was the worst time of our lives, but the knowledge of his organs saving other people’s lives provides us comfort. Our little champ did well! It salvages something positive at a horribly tragic time. Years on, our family is confident we made the right decision to donate Jack’s organs.

Registering as a donor is very important, and equally crucial is sharing this information with your family or loved ones. If the worst ever does happen, your family knows what to do. The family will always have the final donation decision, and eight out of ten will say yes if their loved one is registered. Only four out of ten say yes when the family is not aware of their loved one’s intentions.

Registering can be done in SA through driver’s licence registration or renewal…or Google DonateLife. It takes one minute to register. Then, don’t forget to let your family know.

Attributable to organ recipient Dimitri Tsekinis

I wake up every day and see my five children smiling, a life that would not have been possible without the kidney and liver transplants.

It has created a legacy and now so many generations will thrive due to my mum giving me her kidney and the selfless act of a stranger who donated his or her liver to save my life.