Maitland residents are urged to discuss organ and tissue donation when talking to friends and family this Easter long weekend.
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To help start the conversation, people travelling along the M1 Pacific Motorway will have the opportunity to collect a DonateLife information pack at the Beresfield Driver Reviver during the next couple of days.
“The DonateLife packs are great conversation starters. They’ll help you discover the facts about organ and tissue donation, how to register your donation decision and why family discussion is vital,” said Yoni Hope-Hodgetts, a DonateLife Donation Specialist Nurse with the Central Coast Local Health District.
“If you’re a NSW resident, the only way you can register your donation decision is on the Australian Organ Donor Register.
“Even if you had previously registered your decision through your driver’s licence, you need to sign up to the national register.
“If you’ve decided you are willing to become an organ and tissue donor, please discuss that decision with your loved ones.
“In Australia, the family is always asked to confirm the decision of the deceased, so they need to know what you wanted.”
One organ and tissue donor can transform the lives of 10 or more people.
Organ donation is a rare event with less than 1 per cent of all hospital deaths occurring in the specific circumstances where organ donation can be considered.
Many more have the potential to become tissue donors.
Visit www.donatelife.gov.au.