The NSW Government is urging people across NSW to register as organ and tissue donors and talk to their families about their decision this DonateLife Week, which runs until Sunday 2 August.
Newcastle based heart transplant recipient Luka-Angel Cairns, is one of the main faces of this year's national DonateLife Week campaign and is celebrating 10 years since receiving her transplant. Luka-Angel is now encouraging the community to have the conversation about organ donation.
NSW recorded strong growth in donation and transplantation in 2025, with 160 deceased organ donors, an 18 per cent increase from the previous year, and 411 people receiving a life-saving organ transplant, a 17 per cent increase from the previous year.
Despite those results, registrations are falling. Just 34,156 people in NSW joined the Australian Organ Donor Register in 2025, a 19 per cent decrease from the year before.
Organ donation is only possible in rare circumstances, with around 2 per cent of hospital deaths occurring in the specific clinical circumstances where donation can proceed.
Loved ones are always asked to support someone's decision to be an organ donor before donation goes ahead, with eight in ten families agreeing when they know their family member was a registered donor.
Around 1,800 Australians are on the transplant waitlist, with a further 14,000 people on dialysis. Sadly, more than 50 people die each year while waiting for a lifesaving organ transplant.
Throughout DonateLife Week, landmarks across NSW will be illuminated in DonateLife magenta and community events will be held across the state, beginning with a community walk and celebration in Sydney today.
NSW Health is again partnering with Service NSW to put registration in front of people, with prompts across the MyServiceNSW app, service centre screens and Service NSW channels throughout the week.
Registering takes about one minute at donatelife.gov.au with a Medicare card, or via the MyServiceNSW app.
Quotes attributable to Health Minister Ryan Park:
"Behind every donation is a family who said yes at a very hard moment of their lives, and another family who gets more time with the person they love.
"Organ donation can only happen in rare circumstances, which is why every single registration counts. It takes a minute to register and one conversation to let your family know your decision.
"My message this DonateLife Week is simple: register at donatelife.gov.au, and tell your family."
Quotes attributable to NSW Organ and Tissue Donation Service Co-State Medical Director, Dr Michael O'Leary:
"Not everyone who dies can become a donor, and our teams work to identify every possible opportunity while maintaining strict clinical and ethical standards.
"When someone is registered and their family knows their wishes, families almost always say yes. The kindest thing you can do for the people you love is make your decision clear."
Quotes attributable to Luka-Angel Cairns, NSW heart transplant recipient and one of the faces of the 2026 DonateLife Week campaign:
"Ten years ago, a family said yes to donation, and I am here because of them. Every milestone I have reached since belongs partly to them.
"Registering takes a minute, and it can give someone like me a whole lifetime. Please register, and tell your family."
