Hundreds gather in Adelaide to raise awareness of organ donation

ABC NEWS (Australia)

More than a hundred people have walked around Adelaide's River Torrens to raise awareness of the importance of organ and tissue donation. Recipients celebrated their life-changing surgeries while families honoured the loved ones who gave the ultimate gift.

Transcript

00:00 It was an emotional day of remembrance for many, taking part in the Donate Life Walk

00:08 to acknowledge the hope that can emerge from great loss.

00:11 It raises your spirits. It's just so wonderful to be able to come together and you just feel

00:17 that connection.

00:19 Shelley Brown's family opted to donate her husband's organs after he died unexpectedly

00:24 in 2019.

00:25 My husband and I, we had spoken about it and we're both passionate, but I could see how

00:31 it could be. So it's so important to have those conversations with your family and friends.

00:37 For recipients, the donations are life-changing. Faye's congenital heart disease made it difficult

00:42 to even pick up a pen, but 11 months ago she was given a new heart and lungs.

00:48 My donor and the pieces of him will always be a part of me and I will continue to press

00:54 forward and to continue the legacy that definitely he passed on to me.

00:59 SA leads the pack on donor registrations in the country. It's the only state that allows

01:04 people to sign up with their driver's licence. But there's still a need for more support

01:09 from families, with just over half giving consent to donations.

01:14 Currently there's around 1800 people on the waiting list and the wait is, for a kidney

01:21 transplant, it varies but it's up to around four years.

01:25 South Australians can also register to donate on the Medicare app.

01:29 [BLANK_AUDIO]

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