Organ transplants are very much in the news at the moment. Earlier this week a TV show ran a program about nine year Jack Woods and how his organs brought life to seven other people on the waiting list for various other organ transplants. His story convinced ex AFL footballer Nathan Buckley to sign up to become and organ donor.
Then on Wednesday, our local paper reported two stories of two men who had received double lung transplants. Rod Dean received his transplant almost nine years ago. The other, Wayne Green, only had his transplant last year and his body is still struggling to adjust, resulting in him having been back in hospital several times since December 2007.
Rod Dean spent 14 moths on the waiting list before he received his new lungs. Wayne Green’s wait on the transplant list was only a bit over two months, as he was very sick.
Imagine how you would feel if you were the one waiting each day for the all important phone call, wondering if a transplant was ever going to happen. Or whether the phone call would come too late for you. Imagine how you would feel when that phone call confirming your lung transplant, heart transplant, kidney transplant or for some other vital organ finally came.
The call can come at any time. For Wayne Green that call came at 1.30am. Then began a rush to get him up to Sydney and to the hospital ready for the operation which happened at 7.30am and wasn’t completed till 4.30pm.
In Australia alone, around 2000 people are waiting for a transplant. A fifth of these will die before a suitable transplant can be arranged. Often the biggest problems can be ensuring that family knows your wishes in this matter.
What would you do to save the life of another person? Would you donate blood? Would you sign a form willing your organs to be donated to those in need when you die? Have you ever asked God about this matter? It could mean life or death for another person?
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