Meet five people who are alive today thanks to one organ donor

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Meet five people who are alive today thanks to one organ donor

Louise Hall Health Reporter
August 10, 2008


THESE five Australians share a very special bond. Each received an organ from the same female donor four years ago, which saved their lives. The recipients first met 18 months after their surgeries and have come together again to help boost Australia's flagging organ donation rates.

Caitlin McKay and Matthew Young were on dialysis for kidney failure when they were lucky to each receive a kidney from the donor, a middle-aged woman who died in an accident.

The same donor's liver was split, with Judah Flanagan receiving the smaller, left lobe and Joanna Wang given the larger section. Christine Griffiths received a new heart and lungs. They spoke of their gratitude to the donor's family and urged people to talk to their families about becoming a donor.

"Without them, my only option was a pine box. I can't thank my donor family enough," Ms Griffiths, of Armidale, said. Dependent on an oxygen tank and unable to perform the simplest of tasks, the mother-of-one didn't think she would live to see her son Jarrod, 9, grow up. Four years later, she's healthier than ever. Judah was diagnosed with biliary atresia, a rare gastrointestinal disorder that destroys the bile ducts and causes cirrhosis of the liver at 11 weeks of age. Without the transplant, Judah would have died before he was six months old. Every year on the anniversary of his liver transplant, Judah's mother, Jo, plants a rose bush in memory of his donor. He will need another transplant in the future.

Meanwhile, Ms McKay is awaiting test results to see if her mother is a match after her donated kidney failed in November.

This week more than 4200 experts from The Transplantation Society of Australia and New Zealand will meet in Sydney to discuss using stem cells as a replacement for transplants and islet xenotransplantation (animal to human) to treat diabetes.

On Wednesday, Dr Luc Noel from the World Health Organisation will release WHO's guiding principles for ethical transplantation worldwide.

Despite awareness campaigns helping to increase registration rates, and a high number of successful transplants, Australia still has one of the lowest organ donor rates in the developed world. Thankfully, donor numbers are higher than this time last year - between January and July there were 142 donors and 491 recipients compared to 117 donors and 375 recipients in 2007.

Currently, about 1866 people in Australia need a transplant; almost 100 Australians die each year waiting. As the population ages and more Australians become susceptible to diseases such as obesity and diabetes, transplant demand will grow. Last month Prime Minister Kevin Rudd announced a $151million package of changes to boost the organ donation rate.

This story was found at: http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2008/08/09/1218139162867.html