I wasn’t sure what to write my first article on, but decided to write about a topic close to home, namely organ donation.

I received a bi-lateral lung transplant in January this year, and my life has changed dramatically, from being dependant on oxygen around the clock, to being able to run. I cannot begin to describe the difference. I have my life back, and received the greatest gift imaginable, a future. The sad part however is that there are hundreds of people who will die waiting for that call that will never come. I remember the waiting, stressing about not getting those lungs in time, but I did, and I was one of the lucky ones.

We get bombarded by the media every day about AIDS, STD’s, diabetes, TB… the list goes on. However it feels like organ donation does not get the attention it so desperately needs, with the result that hundreds of organs go to waste, and people die waiting for transplants.

A few things need to be done to address the issue as far as I’m concerned. Myths regarding organ donation should be cleared up and people should be educated. Medical personnel in certain positions should be educated. People who are willing to donate their organs (and there are many) should register as organ donors and inform their family of their decision.

You would think that having a minister of health who has had a liver transplant that saved her life she would do more to encourage organ donation, but that seems not to be the case unfortunately. So it is up to us, the lucky ones, to spread the word on organ donation and encourage people to become donors with our story.

Don’t take your organs to heaven, because heaven knows, we need them here.

Register as an organ donor in South Africa
Find out more about organ transplants in SA