‘I watched my friend go from living a normal, healthy life, to a life that became completely medicalised in the blink of an eye. I always wondered whether the day was going to come that he’d get a transplant, or if the day would come that he'd get too sick.’
- Kate Gray
As told by Kate Gray, DonateLife Tasmania
I had heard confronting stories of liver transplant recipients turning a bright shade of yellow from their liver failure. I never expected to watch this happen to a close friend of mine as he battled sudden liver disease. The reality of it hit me. We tell people that the need for a transplant can happen to anyone, and now it was happening to someone I loved.
I watched my friend go from living a normal, healthy life, to a life that became completely medicalised in the blink of an eye. It was a very confronting experience for him, seeing his skin turn yellow while on the organ transplant waitlist.
I am thankful to have worked with DonateLife for 9 years now. No 2 days are ever the same in my role as a Donation Specialist Nursing Coordinator, and Education Coordinator.
I’m often the first point of call for an urgent transplant listing or a referral for a potential donor in Tasmania. I’m also in my fifth year as an Education Coordinator, a role that shares knowledge and best practices in hospitals and the community. Some days I might be at work putting together education materials or enjoying days off with my children, when suddenly I’m needed to support the family of someone about to die at the hospital.
My job can at times highlight the challenge of living away from the mainland. It can feel like I have many balls in the air, juggling them to bring all these moving parts together and make this big machine work.
The Bass Strait can often add extra challenges to a successful organ and tissue donation. It is a huge team effort stretching from Tasmania to multiple States. I find people are so keen to help, often going above and beyond to be a part of this special process.
I was already a few years into my role with DonateLife, working with many donors and their families, when my friend became ill with liver disease.
Knowing that he would need a liver transplant, and knowing more than most just how rare an organ match and donation would be, was challenging for me. I always wondered whether the day was going to come that he’d get a transplant, or if the day would come that he’d get too sick.
But then I got the call on my daughter’s birthday. He had been matched with a donor. I held my breath all day waiting to hear the good news of a successful transplant.
Luckily, he now celebrates a ‘liverversary’ every year. It’s a time to reflect and give thanks to his donor and I’m grateful we get to watch him experience a completely new lease of life.
This experience gave a whole new dimension to the work that I do today. I passionately encourage people to register their donation decision and share their wishes with their families.
As a donation coordinator, a lot of people I meet just don't know what their loved one would have wanted when they are in the rare position to be an organ donor.
When a family of a potential donor has never discussed organ donation before, I sit down with them and ask them to talk about their family member. After sharing memories and exchanging stories, families will arrive at a decision they feel best reflects who their loved one was. It’s definitely easier when families have spoken about donation before and are clear about what their loved one wanted.
I feel a great duty to be able to support these families. It's really lovely to feel like I'm offering a glimmer of something positive shining through in this really awful time.
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