Kristen Willmott

Donation specialist nursing coordinator

What a donation specialist nursing coordinator does

“It’s a pretty long job title, isn’t it? It’s a unique job. I am in a really privileged position to meet with those families who are losing or have lost their loved one. I spend time getting to know them and listen to what the person was like. Then I help them come to a decision about organ donation that aligns best with their values and beliefs, whether that be a yes or a no. I give the families accurate information and break down myths about organ donation.”

You shouldn’t make immutable evening plans

“There is no typical day in this job. You could start the morning with meetings and emails and by the afternoon you could be in a hospital anywhere in the state of Victoria facilitating organ donation. One day I was halfway through my day when I got a call to go to Mildura. My colleague and I didn’t get home until the next day.”

Why most people support donation, but few become donors

“One of the biggest barriers is people not registering their wish on the Australian Organ Donor Registry and not having the conversation with their friends and family. Eighty per cent of Australians are pro donation. But only 30 per cent have registered their decision.”

The rewards of this job are pretty incredible

“Prior to this role, I remember nursing a young girl in ICU with cystic fibrosis who was urgently awaiting a lifesaving lung transplant. We thought that she may die that night, but then a lung transplant became available. I saw her a couple of months later and almost didn’t recognise her. She looked well! She nearly died that night and would have without that transplant. One poor family out there had lost someone and given the gift of life not knowing who they were saving. It’s incredible to see.”

Most people who die are not able to be organ donors

“To be able to potentially donate organs, the patient needs to die in hospital, and in particular in the intensive care unit or in the emergency department and usually connected to a ventilator. However, unlike organ donation, eye and tissue donation is possible up to 24 hours after death.”

donatelife.gov.au.