Local swimmer’s organ transplant journey sparks organ donor sign-up drive
The Grammy-winning Soweto Gospel Choir will perform at a free Zwavelpoort event supporting organ donation awareness and Down Syndrome Awareness Month.
Following a life-saving liver transplant and almost 100 days in ICU, former Pretoria East athlete Jan-Herman Els and his family have launched the ‘Fight Till the End: Be Brave’ campaign.
Els underwent a successful liver transplant at Wits Donald Gordon Medical Centre before spending almost 100 days in the transplant ICU.
For his mother, Izelle Els, the experience changed the way the family viewed organ donation. They found themselves surrounded by patients waiting for transplants, families hoping for positive news and healthcare professionals working to save lives while the availability of donor organs remained limited.
“We saw patients waiting, families hoping and healthcare professionals doing everything possible while desperately needed donor organs remained scarce,” said Izelle.
The family came to understand that one organ donor has the potential to save up to seven lives. Els’s successful transplant meant he could continue living, while his experience gave his family a new purpose.
Campaign targets 2 500 new organ donors
Izelle decided their gratitude should not end with her son receiving the organ that gave him another opportunity at life.
That experience inspired ‘Fight Till the End: Be Brave’, a national awareness campaign with a target of encouraging 2 500 South Africans to register as organ donors.
For Izelle, the campaign is personal because she has seen the uncertainty families face waiting for a transplant.
“Behind every transplant statistic is a family waiting for a phone call. Behind every donor is another family experiencing loss. And behind every successful transplant is a person who has been given the opportunity to continue living,” she said.
Els had already developed a reputation for determination through his involvement in sport, particularly swimming. But his transplant journey gave those qualities a different meaning.
Free awareness event features Soweto Gospel Choir
The campaign will culminate in an event on October 9 at the 3Ci Auditorium in Zwavelpoort, Pretoria, where organisers hope to bring people together through music while raising awareness about organ donation.
The internationally acclaimed, Grammy-winning Soweto Gospel Choir will perform at the event, alongside learners from Club 21 Learning Centre.
The event also coincides with Down Syndrome Awareness Month in October, making it particularly meaningful for Els, his family and the Club 21 community.
Admission is free, although guests will need to reserve their attendance.
Organisers say the aim is not simply to fill the auditorium, but to turn awareness into action by reaching the target of 2 500 new organ donor registrations.
For Els and his family, the campaign is a way of turning a difficult chapter into a message of hope for other families who may one day find themselves waiting for a transplant.
His story is now being shared to encourage others to make the decision to register as an organ donor.
“One decision. Seven possible lives. 2 500 people willing to be brave,” the campaign states.
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