Students and workers around the NT are being encouraged toembrace Casual Friday tomorrow and wear their team sporting jersey to raiseawareness of organ donation.
Donate Lifes Jersey Day is not about fundraising but aboutraising awareness of the important need to commit to organ donation and tobegin the conversation with friends and family about your decision.
With about 1,400 Australians currently waitlisted for atransplant and a further 11,000 people on dialysis, every donation opportunityneeds to be optimised to save more lives.
Nightcliff Primary School is embracing Jersey Day andencouraging teachers and students to get behind the awareness campaign.
Its a campaign that is particularly relevant to the schoolcommunity as pre-school assistant Hayley Chirizzis father donated his liver,kidneys and lungs following a brain aneurism in 2013. He passed away interstateand his amazing donation saved four lives.
In 2018, the organs of four Territorians were donated,helping to save the lives of 12 others.
While the majority of Australianssupport organ donation, only 1 in 3 are registered and only 13% of Territorianshave registered their donation decision on the Australian Organ Donor Register.
Becoming an organ donor is very easy, takes only a couple ofminutes and can be done online at: www.donatelife.gov.au
Jersey Day was inspired by 13-year-old Nathan Gremmo, whodied in 2015 while crossing the road. His organ donation saved the lives of sixpeople, including a baby.
As stated by theMinister for Health Natasha Fyles
Organ donation is such an amazingly selfless and lastinggift. Your donation could save multiple lives and give quality of life back toothers.
I encourage all Territorians to spend tomorrow thinkingabout becoming an organ donor. But dont just leave it there. If you do decideto become a donor, make sure you have the conversation with your family, sothat if there is a time when you have the opportunity to help someone else,your family knows your wishes.
As stated by Hayley Chirizzi
My father wasnt registered but wed had chats over dinnerand he made it clear if anything ever happened to him he wanted to donate hisorgans so others could have a second chance at life.
Having that conversation made it so much easier when thetime came. In a way, it made the grieving process easier knowing that he wasable to help others.
Id encourage Territorians to sign up and really make adifference to someone else.
As stated by Dr SarahJones, NT Medical Director Organ and Tissue Donation
Australias organ donation rate hasmore than doubled in recent years, but there is much more we can do.
Now is the time to have that conversation with your family andregister online to ensure your loved ones are aware of your wishes.
Registering to be a donor is important because it leaves yourfamily in no doubt of your decision. And we know registration counts, with 90percent of families agreeing to donations proceeding when their loved one is aregistered donor.
