| THE GIFT OF LIFE THE YOUNG WOMAN DIED UNEXPECTEDLY. HER KIDNEY WAS GIVEN TO A YOUNG BRISBANE MOTHER OF THREE WHO WAS LITERALLY ON DEATHS DOOR. SHE WROTE A THANK YOU NOTE TO THE FAMILY OF THE DEAD WOMAN. THEY WROTE BACK. THE CORRESPONDENCE TELLS A HEARTWARMING STORY OF LOVE AND SACRIFICE. They were absolutely sure I was going to die," says the Brisbane mother calmly, as she reminisces about the day that not only changed her life, but literally saved it �At one point the doctors had told them (my family) I had 24 hours to live. Then one day that all changed. I had a new kidney and a new chance at life." Lucy, (not her real name) was out eating dinner with friends when the call came saying that a suitable organ had been found and that her transplant was imminent. She had been on kidney dialysis three times a week and at one point her health deteriorated to such a degree that she was given less than a 10 percent chance of survival, if she did not undergo a transplant. Her family - a husband and three teenage children - were steeling themselves for a life without their wife and mother. They could only stand-by watching her life ebb away. And always waiting to see if a suitable organ donor would be found in time. They could barely believe their luck when the call came. "A million things go through your mind," Lucy said. "My immediate feeling was of absolute euphoria, elation. I remember thinking, 'hooray, no more dialysis'. Thinking, Yay, I'm going to live, I'm going to see my kids grow up' . . . worrying about the surgery and the threat of rejection of the kidney." But through her own elation, and that of her family, she thought also of the pain of those who had taken the decision to give her life. I remember thinking that while we were all so euphoric there was another family, the donor family, who were grieving," Lucy said. It was such a wonderful, unselfish, courageous decision to make. I would like them to know that every year when my family celebrates the success of my kidney transplant, we always think of them, too, and the sadness they must be feeling. And we thank them. So Lucy decided to put pen to paper, and wrote a letter of thanks to the donor's family, for so selflessly allowing their daughter's death to save another life. Dear donor family, she wrote. Your generosity has given me my life back and believe me, I am living it to the fullest. I am a middle-aged mum with three busy teenagers and although I have always been an involved Mum, even on dialysis, I felt I was dragging one foot after the other. Now I bounce along. My husband thinks 1 do too much! I have even gone back to work a couple of days a week, something I couldn't even begin to imagine before my transplant. Not many days go by without me thinking of you and how your unselfish act has changed my life and how eternally grateful my family and I are for your most generous, priceless gift. We thank you from the bottom of our hearts. With love, a Happy and Healthy recipient By law, the recipient and the donor family never know each other�s names. But for the rest of their lives they will share an incredible bond. The death of the daughter of one of them had meant a new chance at life for the other. The families have given permission for the letters to be published in the hope that by sharing their experiences, others will be encouraged to join the Australian Organ Donor Register. After receiving Lucy's letter, the mother of the woman whose kidney and other organs were donated immediately after her death also put pen to paper, and wrote back. To my Daughter�s Recipients, she wrote. It is now nearly two years since all our lives changed forever and I would like to tell you a little about my beautiful girl. First, thank you to those who have sent us a letter - it is so comforting to know that you are okay and I really cannot describe how wonderful it was to receive them. It is so difficult to know what to tell you about your donor - she is remembered for her beautiful smile and loving nature. She had her future all planned and it included the love of a wonderful boy who is struggling to make sense of a future without her. She died from a brain haemorrhage from a congenital blood vessel problem that we had no idea she had - she wasn't doing anything dangerous � was just asleep in her own bed, so you can imagine that it has been so difficult to come to terms with her sudden tragic loss. The only thing that makes sense is the fact that she was able to give you all a new lease of life - nothing could have saved her life so it is especially meaningful that her death was not in vain. Nothing makes it okay that she is not here with us but the fact that six people benefited does give me some comfort I realise it isn't always smooth sailing for transplant patients so I wish you all good health - and please don�t feel guilty at receiving your �gift of life� - we are so proud of our darling girl's legacy and are grateful that we were able to honour her wishes. At first glance, neither of the two letters would have caused much more than a ripple of interest as they were plucked from the mailbox. One was a single crisp white sheet of paper, carefully typed and neatly folded; the other a pretty flower-strewn "thank you" card, not unlike thousands in newsagents all around the country. But both were very special to their recipients. The Thank you card was full of gratitude for the unique gift of life. The response, from the mother of the organ donor, a young woman whose sudden, tragic death had resulted in a new chance at life not just for one woman but for five other people as well, was tinged with a sense of loss and grief made more bearable only through the comfort of knowing a daughter�s death was not in vain. Neither of the women writing and receiving this special mail will ever knowingly meet. �I woke up at about 5am one morning, sat down with the pen and a card and it all just spilled out� Lucy said. "But there didn't seem to be enough words to convey all I wanted to say." She said that when she received the return letter from the donor�s family she was "totally blown away". 'When it arrived we all read it together, the whole family," she said. It is a beautiful letter and we have framed it, placed it in a very prominent position in our home and it is a special part of our lives� She emphasised that her transplant was very much something that had affected her whole family. "A transplant doesn't just give one individual another chance," Lucy said. �In my case there were my three children and my husband who were facing the loss of a wife and mother. There were all our other family members and our close friends who were hanging in there with us." These are but two vignettes from the long history of life-giving or life-preserving organ transplants (heart, heart/lung, liver, kidney, pancreas) and tissue (corneas, heart valves, skin, bone) received by more than 30,000 Australians since 1965. Yet as moving as they are, according to the Federal Minister for Health, Dr Michael Wooldridge, despite having one of the highest transplant success rates in the world, Australia has a critical shortage of people willing to donate organs. Launching the Australian Organ Donor Register recently, Dr. Wooldridge said: �Sadly, of those Australians awaiting organ transplant two will die each week and up to 55% of those waiting for a heart, heart-lung or liver transplant will die before a suitable organ donor becomes available. He said that the tragedy was that although 90% of Australians had expressed their support for organ donation, only 46% had taken active steps to have their wishes carried out. Now along with the 4 million Australians who have indicated on their driver's licence their wish to become organ donors at the time of their death, every Australian has the opportunity to register their intention to donate on the Australian Organ Donor Register. "Having a national register means that when a person dies, authorised medical personnel can quickly refer to the national register to find out if this person is on the donor list," he said. 'Timing is important in organ donations and we hope this national register, which is designed to complement existing organ donation arrangements, will significantly lift the number of people who decide to donate." Dr Wooldridge also urged anyone who registered as wanting to be an organ/tissue donor to discuss the matter with their family and those close to them, so that those people were aware of their wishes. Today is National Organ Donation Awareness Day. You can register at any Medicare Office, by accessing forms on the Health Insurance Commission website: www.hic.gov.au/organ or by telephoning 1800 77 203. |