Students and workers around the NT are being encouraged to embrace ‘Casual Friday’ tomorrow and wear their team sporting jersey to raise awareness of organ donation.
Donate Life’s Jersey Day is not about fundraising but about raising awareness of the important need to commit to organ donation and to begin the conversation with friends and family about your decision.
With about 1,400 Australians currently waitlisted for a transplant and a further 11,000 people on dialysis, every donation opportunity needs to be optimised to save more lives.
Nightcliff Primary School is embracing Jersey Day and encouraging teachers and students to get behind the awareness campaign.
It’s a campaign that is particularly relevant to the school community as pre-school assistant Hayley Chirizzi’s father donated his liver, kidneys and lungs following a brain aneurism in 2013. He passed away interstate and his amazing donation saved four lives.
In 2018, the organs of four Territorians were donated, helping to save the lives of 12 others.
While the majority of Australians support organ donation, only 1 in 3 are registered and only 13% of Territorians have registered their donation decision on the Australian Organ Donor Register.
Becoming an organ donor is very easy, takes only a couple of minutes and can be done online at: www.donatelife.gov.au
Jersey Day was inspired by 13-year-old Nathan Gremmo, who died in 2015 while crossing the road. His organ donation saved the lives of six people, including a baby.
Quotes from the Minister for Health Natasha Fyles
“Organ donation is such an amazingly selfless and lasting gift. Your donation could save multiple lives and give quality of life back to others.
“I encourage all Territorians to spend tomorrow thinking about becoming an organ donor. But don’t just leave it there. If you do decide to become a donor, make sure you have the conversation with your family, so that if there is a time when you have the opportunity to help someone else, your family knows your wishes.”
Quotes from Hayley Chirizzi
“My father wasn’t registered but we’d had chats over dinner and he made it clear if anything ever happened to him he wanted to donate his organs so others could have a second chance at life.
“Having that conversation made it so much easier when the time came. In a way, it made the grieving process easier knowing that he was able to help others.
“I’d encourage Territorians to sign up and really make a difference to someone else.”
Quotes from Dr Sarah Jones, NT Medical Director Organ and Tissue Donation
“Australia’s organ donation rate has more than doubled in recent years, but there is much more we can do.
“Now is the time to have that conversation with your family and register online to ensure your loved ones are aware of your wishes.
“Registering to be a donor is important because it leaves your family in no doubt of your decision. And we know registration counts, with 90 percent of families agreeing to donations proceeding when their loved one is a registered donor.”
Media contact: Andrea Allen 0401 119 467.