July 28, 2025Sunday, 27 July – 3 August, marks DonateLife Week, an annual national awareness period to highlight and raise awareness of the importance of Organ and Tissue donation.
The week aims to encourage more Australians to register their wishes to become organ and tissue donors as well encouraging Australians to have the conversation with their families.
The Northern Donation Specialist Team comprises a Medical Donation Specialist, Dr David Crosbie, and a Nurse Donation Specialist, Bridget Walters. They work closely with DonateLife Victoria to support patients who are at end of life and their families and offer the possibility of organ and tissue donation within the Intensive Care Unit at Northern Health.
DonateLife Week allows us to reflect upon caring for our patients and loved ones who graciously consented to Organ, Eye and Tissue Donation in the last 12 months. At Northern Health, five families said ‘yes’ to organ donation. These donations saved and transformed the lives of nine very grateful recipients and changes the lives of many others through tissue donation. Eleven families said ‘yes’ to eye donation restoring the sight and changing the lives of 22 recipients.
“We thank all organ and tissue donors and their families for their generosity,” said the Donation Specialist team.
Bridget finds it a great honour and privilege in her nurse donation specialist role to be able to support patients and their families during such a difficult time.
“It is very humbling to sit and be present with a family who often share stories and memories of their loved one, whilst feeling such grief and loss and yet find the strength and generosity to consider others by saying ‘yes’ to organ donation, giving the ultimate gift of a second chance of life to another,” she says.
This DonateLife Week we would also like to acknowledge and thank the staff at Northern Health.
“Organ and tissue donation would not be able to occur without the commitment, teamwork, person-centred care and compassion that is given to patients and their families during the donation process. Multiple areas are usually involved, including the emergency department, intensive care unit, medical imaging, cardiac cath lab and theatre. These teams exemplify the organisation’s Safe, Kind, Together values during this challenging time, which is why Northern Health is held in such esteem by DonateLife,” said Dr Crosbie.
The Donation Specialist team continue to work collaboratively with the Palliative and Neurology wards, Medical Designated Officers, Northern Pathology and Radiology, Echocardiology and Interventional Cardiology, who are all very accommodating of the needs of the donor patients, often coming in after hours and within short timeframes.
At Northern Health we are very fortunate to have such a compassionate allied health team. Social workers, spiritual care and the Transcultural and Language Services (TALS) team of interpreters, play an integral role during family donation conversations and throughout the donation journey, ensuring the individual needs cultural, spiritual and religious needs of patients and families are supported,” said Ms Walters.
This DonateLife week, the donation specialist team wish to acknowledge and thank the clinical medical and nurse champions and nurse advocate across the organisation who continuously raise awareness, support education and who are important resource to their colleagues when caring from organ donors and their families.
In Australia, your family will always be asked to support your decision before organ donation goes ahead. They are much more likely to agree if they know you want to be a donor.
This important week gives hope to around 1,800 Australians on the organ transplant waitlist and an additional 14,000 people on dialysis, many of whom could benefit from a kidney transplant.
Everyone over the age of 16 can register to donate their organs and tissues on the Australian Organ Donor Register (AODR).
It only takes one minute to register, visit donatelife.gov.au
Pictured in featured image: Dr David Crosbie and Bridget Walters.
