DonateLife Week takes place during 24-31 July, with the aim of encouraging more Australians to become tissue and organ donors.

Organ and tissue donation is a topic that’s not always easy to talk about, so the week opens up those conversations as well as raises awareness of the related issues.

Read on to know more about the week and tissue and organ donation in Australia.

What is DonateLife Week?

DonateLife Week runs from Sunday 24 to Sunday 31 July. It’s a national awareness week that aims to spread the word about tissue and organ donation, encourage people to talk to their loved ones about the topic and register to be donors.

Lots of events take place during the week all over the country, including walks, registration sign-ups and planting ceremonies to honour donors and their families.

You can find out more about the week’s events or register your own here.

What is organ donation?

Organ donation involves removing an organ from a donor for it to be transplanted into the recipient, someone who is very ill because their organ isn’t functioning properly.

Most organs for donation come from people who have passed away, although certain organs can be donated while you are alive, such as a kidney or part of your liver.

What is tissue donation?

Tissue donation involves removing tissues such as heart valves, bone, skin and parts of the eyes from the donor and transplanting them into the recipient.

Some tissues can only be taken after the donor’s death, while others, including bone or amniotic membrane following elective caesarean section, can be taken while the donor is alive.

How can I get involved in DonateLife Week?

It’s easy to get involved in DonateLife Week:

• One of the most significant things you can do is register to become an organ and tissue donor. It’s really simple — all you need to do is take a few minutes to fill in an online form with some details about yourself.
• You can also start conversations with family and friends about the importance of organ donation. This is a great opportunity to find out their wishes and also let yours be known.
• Support the week on social media using the tag DonateLife Australia and the following hashtags in your posts: #DonateLife, #DonateLifeWeek, #DonateLifeWeek2022.

Find more ideas on the DonateLife pages.

Organ and tissue donation facts

Did you know that while most Australians say they think it’s important to be a donor, only one in three is registered? This is just one of many surprising facts and figures about tissue and organ donation in Australia.

Here are some more to motivate and inspire you:

• Currently, around 1,600 Australians are on a waiting list for a transplant.
• Typical wait times to get the transplant they need range from six months to four years.
• Less than 1% of people die in hospital in the circumstances that allow donation to be possible. That’s why it’s so important to get more people to register for organ and tissue donation.
• Organ donation helps people with conditions such as kidney failure, congenital heart disease and liver cancer.
• Examples of tissue donation include restoring sight with a cornea transplant or skin grafting to help people with serious burns.
• In 2021, 1,174 people in Australia had an organ transplant and there were 421 organ donors.

How can I make my wishes known?

One of the main aims of DonateLife Week is to encourage conversations around organ and tissue donation.

Talking about your wishes with your family and friends using the week as a conversation starter is an effective way of making your intentions known.

There are other ways of getting the message across too. Some people like to wear a medical alert that says they are on the Australian Organ Donor Register, and the beauty of med alerts is that they can be customised with any message you like.

For example, as well as including a reference to the organ donor register, you could also include an emergency contact number on your medical ID.

You could opt for a silicone wristband that’s comfy, looks great and is durable too, or even go for a wallet card to communicate your message.

Whichever style you choose, ordering yourself and your loved ones medical IDs with this information is a great way to recognise organ donation and support this special week.

Supporting a lifesaving cause

Talking about organ and tissue donation isn’t always an easy conversation, but DonateLife can be an icebreaker when it comes to starting up a chat around these issues.

Think of it as an opportunity to understand your loved ones’ wishes — and let them know yours at the same time.

It’s also a time to show you care and support a lifesaving cause. So why not get on board and take part in DonateLife Week this July?