This Friday, 30 August 2019 all staff at Brydens Lawyers will be encouraged to wear their favourite sporting jersey to show their support for the “Donate Life” network.
As has been widely reported, Jersey Day was inspired by the story of Nathan Gremmo. Nathan passed as result of injury sustained in an accident in May 2015 and thereafter Nathan’s family chose to donate Nathan’s organs which directly led to the saving of the lives of six people, five young adults and a baby.
Remarkably, only hours before his death, Nathan wrote on his Instagram account, “you only live once but if you do it right once is enough”.
How prophetic.
The facts surrounding organ donation are startling. One organ and tissue donated can transform the lives of 10 or more people. Around 1,500 people in Australia are on an organ transplant waiting list at any time. Australia leads the world for successful transplant outcomes. In 2014, 378 organ donors benefited 1,117 transplant recipients. More than 60% of families have given consent for organ and tissue donation to proceed.
Jersey day is all about raising awareness, not funds. All of us should seriously consider being a donor if the circumstances arise. It can be an uncomfortable conversation with family, but an important one. If we do not know whether a family member would be prepared to donate in the circumstances, then we should ask. Knowing that family member’s decision would make it much easier to decide if and when the situation arose.