World Organ Donation Awareness Day - Mt Maunganui
The World Organ Donation Awareness Day walk at Mt Maunganui held on Oct 4th started off with a bang in mighty show of support from some 400 people who braved the dodgy weather to raise awareness on organ donation.
The large crowd gathered around the front deck of the Surf Life Saving Club in Mt Maunganui’s idyllic waterfront before Mayor Stuart Crosby did his speech. After short and sweet speech, then crowd launched into their adventure up Mt Maunganui. Some raced up the mountain, others took the easy and scenic walk around the base of the mountain.
A few of the NZ Transplant Games Association members who have just completed competing in the 17th World Transplant Games in August made their way to the Mt Maunganui for the walk.
We had enjoyed the games so much, and the Oct 4th organ donation awareness day was a befitting reminder for many of us recipient families. The Woolfs – my hubby and his two sisters and a partner – and my nephew, came to the walk.
The very idea for the walk up Mt Maunganui came from heart recipient Stuart Watson, who prior to his transplant could barely attend his children’s soccer practice without having to sit down for an interim rest. With his new heart in place, he did conquer a mountain!
The event was organised by Organ Donation NZ. Credit goes to communications adviser Melanie Selby and the people behind the scene who made the event move like clockwork. Besides the mayor, the presence of other celebrities – National MP Simon Bridges, All Black Tanerau Latimer and NZ swimmers Dean Kent and Helen Norfolk – added much to the atmosphere.
“I was somewhat overwhelmed by the turnout,” Selby says, adding that about 270 people had registered prior but some 400 turned out.
The walk was sponsored by Mad House Design, Just Water, Holland Beckett, Legacy Trust, More FM, Port of Tauranga, Novartis, Mount Maunganui Lifeguard Services, Marja and Stephen O’Connor and Nivea.
“This was the first time anything like this has been held in New Zealand to commemorate World Day of Organ Donation,” Selby adds.
This is an old fact: New Zealand has a dismally low organ donation rate. In 2008, there were only 31 deceased organs being donated. At 9 per million of population, New Zealand’s organ donation rate is among the lowest in the world, compared to 34.3 per million seen in Spain.
Hampered by lack of awareness, religious beliefs and better medical care in preventing deaths, organs are becoming a rare commodity.
New Zealand has been grappling with low organ donation rates for years. Doctors, those of the waiting list, families and lobby groups continue their intense debate on how best to solve this problem.
For those of us close to the issue, it would be highly remiss not to at least be part of the awareness campaign or contribute to the education of the public.
How can we ever forget? Recipient families live in constant memory, and perpetual gratitude for the second chance to life for our loved ones.
During the walk, I chanced upon a donor family mom. Lydia lost her son Zachary and didn’t hesitate when approached about donating organs. I was in awe of her, and her courage – it is never easy remembering the passing of a loved one. Here she was, in the present, living the memory of the loss. We chatted for a while before parting.
The rain which started in gentle drizzles was becoming more urgent. I spotted my hubby Tony, my daughter Julia and my nephew Jyn Vee coming down the mountain. Then came David and Maria, my sister in law and her partner.
My daughter, who has had a liver transplant, was not about to miss the sausage sizzle. She headed right for the queue. Quite a few of us were huddled inside the surf club lobby, to keep dry.
Forget the not-so-helpful weather, everyone who was at the walk had a reason to be there. What better reason than remembering the gift of life, and that at the other spectrum, of giving the gift of life.
By Yok Har Lee
