MORE than 1000 people in the Frankston area registered to be organ donors last year.
Organ donation has the potential to save and transform lives. Carrum Downs man, Matt Ngaputa-Cripps, had his life changed after a lung transplant in 2018.
Mr Ngaputa-Cripps was diagnosed with Ankylosing Spondylitis about 15 years ago. It is an inflammatory disease which affects the bones and organs.
The disease left him chronically unwell. He spent time in and out of hospitals, and said he “did life from a chair”.
After a lung transplant, Mr Ngaputa-Cripps’ life has changed. He now runs three businesses and enjoys his life alongside his wife, Linda.
Mr Ngaputa-Cripps says he is grateful to his donor for the improvements in his life. “When my lung birthday comes around, the thought that goes through my head every year is that somewhere out there a family is hurting,” he said.
DonateLife says there are 13 million Australians aged over 16 who are eligible to register as organ and tissue donors, but haven’t yet.
DonateLife Victoria state medical director, Dr Rohit D’Costa, said “the biggest barrier to families saying yes to donation is not knowing their family member was willing to be a donor.”
“When donation is a possibility, it helps when families know what their loved one wanted. Across Australia we know that 9 in 10 families give consent to donation when their loved one was a registered donor, and this number is halved when a person is not registered and has not discussed donation with their family.”
To register as an organ donor visit donatelife.gov.au