How organ donation saved Bay doctor’s life
AUGUST is Organ Donor Awareness Month, and while the topic is avoided by by most - until the reality of impending death comes close, Doctor Jan de Kock of Richards Bay can testify to the importance of organ donation.
He received a life-saving liver transplant 16 years ago.
Organ donation was way off his radar until a liver disease attacked his body and only a liver transplant could save him.
The recipient preparation was quite gruelling and the neverending wait was emotionally draining, but he clung to the hope of that one phone call which could save his life.
One early afternoon as he completed his surgery for the day, that call came and he flew to Cape Town. By midnight preparations were being made for the transplant.
Then came the dreadful blow
- the liver was a match, but in a compromised condition and the transplant could not take place.
It was back to Richards Bay and another long wait, until four months later when a successful transplant was made.
De Kock said it was a struggle knowing that someone had to die to give him an organ and save his life.
‘Each year on the anniversary of the transplant I send a card to the donor’s family, expressing my appreciation.
‘In South Africa, donor families and recipients are not introduced to each other, so the card is sent through the transplant coordinator.
‘Being a transplant recipient has opened a whole new chapter for me and I am a member of the South African Transplant Sports Association, a group that meets regularly to compete in different sport activities.
Organ donor registration
De Kock’s family are all organ donors and he encourages everyone to register with the Organ Donor Foundation.
‘When registering one simply declares one’s willingness to donate an organ to a needy recipient. A person’s organs cannot be harvested without the donor’s permission. No medical information or lengthy disclosure needs to be completed,’ De Kock said.
‘The registration is simply a commitment to donate your organs when you die. A donor places a sticker on his or her Identity Document or driver’s licence and carries a ‘business card’ so that in the event of an unexpected death, the medical team knows your wishes and puts the necessary procedures in place.
‘The most important part of this process is to have a frank discussion with your family. Firstly, so they know what your wish is so it can be carried out and secondly, a grieving family does not want to discover you are an organ donor at such an emotional time. They will not want to have to also process that your organs are going to be harvested.’
Leapfrog Property Group has partnered with The Organ Donor Foundation to bring awareness to this worthy cause.
To register or to find out more information visit www.leapfrog. co.za/odf/ or contact Sharon on 082 5669959.