We did our last scheduled talk at a Melbourne boys school today…we have done five talks in total at this school, meaning approx 1000 boys and their teachers have heard about the importance of organ donation and my husband’s liver transplant journey.
Since he had his transplant, we have done quite a few talks, but mainly to adults and medical staff…this was the first time that we spoke to teenagers.
And it has been such a rewarding experience and we are very grateful for the opportunity…in fact, we are rather sad that this particular series is over.
Teenage boys tend to have a short attention span so my husband kept his talk to the point, covering from when he got sick, through the long wait on the list, transplant and the recovery afterwards.
He also shared why it is so important to him to keep as fit and healthy as he can.
For three of the talks, we were also able to project images that I took of him pre and post transplant onto a large screen…images which show just how far he has come from the thin, bright yellow man he was before his transplant.
And to our surprise, every group we spoke to have been totally engaged…even the teachers were surprised at how good the students were.
Apparently there were a couple of students in today’s group that could have been an issue, but they sat perfectly still the whole time.
We were also pleasantly surprised by the questions each group has asked.
Yes, we got the usual “how big is your scar” and “can you drink alcohol”, but there were some quite thoughtful queries raised.
Which hopefully means that my husband’s story moved them enough in that they will now think about organ donation and what their wishes are…and hopefully discuss with their family and friends.
When our talk was over, we were present with a very thoughtful gift of a plant…to represent the gift of life…they even selected a pink pot to sit it in…
Although we don’t do these talks for any form of payment, we were very touched by this gesture…so sweet and just perfect!
We also heard today from the hospital where my husband had his transplant that there has been more organ donors this year then ever before…which means more transplants…more lives saved and transformed.
And that is why organ donation is so important!
To find out more about registering to be a organ donor in Australia, click here to visit the DonateLife website.
And if you are interested in having us come and talk at your school or group, please don’t hesitate to contact us!