Talking about organ donation – By Freya Dougan-Whaite

[ This article was published on February 21 2012, last updated on February 23 2012. ]

Fourteen years ago, South Australian Samantha McDonnell received the news that would change her life. Suffering from cystic fibrosis, she needed a double lung transplant. Thankfully, Samantha then received an opportunity that saved her life – a match had been found, and the transplant was successful.

This is a happy story, but how much do people really know about tissue matching? What about the immune system as a barrier to organ donation?

A panel of experts presented an informal discussion at the Adelaide Science Exchange and examined these fascinating, and at times confronting issues. RiAus Programs Co-ordinator Deb Shaw stresses the importance of open dialogue. “I think that it’s good to talk about these things before you need to talk about these things,” she says. When faced with the kind of devastating situation that we all hope won’t happen, being informed can make a world of difference. “It makes decisions easier one way or other if you’ve already had a conversation,” says Deb.

Organ donation is a topic that Deb is passionate about. It’s also touched her life in a profound way – Samantha McDonnell is not just an inspiring survivor story, but an old friend.

Samantha was joined by renal transplant nephrologist Toby Coates, Australian Red Cross Blood Service’s Rhonda Holdsworth and DonateLife SA’s Bronwyn Coles for the “show and tell” style talk.

“There are all these people squirreling away in labs, cross-matching tissue, all to give someone a chance at life,” says Deb. It’s time we talked about it.

By Freya Dougan-Whaite