Organ donation awareness highlighted by NPO
August is now called Orgust in honour of organ and tissue awareness month.
With August being National Organ and tissue awareness month, a local NPO set out on a mission to raise awareness on why organ donation is important.
Transplant Education for Living Legacies (Tell) visited Life Fourways Hospital on August 24 to chat to nurses on the benefits of organ donations. The organisation encourages people of their wishes with their organs once they have passed on.
Fawn Kruger, one of the founders of the organisation is a double-lung transplant recipient. She had received her transplant in 2013 after having close to a few days left to live.
“It was the first chance at life for me after my transplant. One day when we die, your family will be asked what must happen to your organs. It doesn’t matter if you have registered or not, your family make the decision on your behalf. You can save up to eight lives and help 50 to 100 people with skin, bone and cornea donations.
“Most nursing staff are not exposed to transplant and organ donation. Those who are, usually are only the ones who are sick and waiting for a match. Once you’re healthy and leave the hospital, they don’t get to see the good side,” she said.
The NPO had also set up a stall for anyone in the hospital passing by to visit and enquire about organ donations and transplants. Tell was created by, and is run by patients who have first-hand experience of the life-changing effect of an organ transplant.
“We’ve seen that some of the public has been a little bit apprehensive, but nurses have been enquiring to find out more about the process,” she told Fourways Review.
Marlize de Jager and Koketso Ramaboea, who are also part of the NPO gave talks to nurses and doctors in the hospital about their experience of dealing with patients in need of organs as well as how to become organ donors.
Nurses at the hospital, Mahlatse Hlokwe and Caroline Majova said they found the discussion on organ donation to be an interesting and insightful one.
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