Organ donors remembered
CRAIGAVON – Organ Donor Tribute Day is an annual event held to remember and honour those whose death brought life to another.
Held this year at the Fourways Memorial Park, a handful of donor recipients paid tribute to the families of those who had given them the gift of life or health.
Speaking at the ceremony on 4 August, Mande Toubkin, national trauma transplant manager of Netcare, stressed the fact that the ceremony was in no way an attempt to heal or even ease the pain of death.
Toubkin said, “No matter how many times you attend this function, the pain of losing a loved one will never go away. The event is not an attempt to ease this pain, but rather an event to honour both the donor family and donor recipients.”
Although an emotional time for many, the ceremony highlighted the importance of organ donation.
Debbie Horak, who lost her son, Brad, in June last year, explained that despite the pain of losing Brad, the decision to donate his organs was an easy one.
Horak said, “There was never any doubt. Deciding to donate his organs was possibly the easiest decision I have ever had to make.” She added that when her son was severely injured in a freak accident she knew he wasn’t going to make it.
“Doctors told us very early that Brad was not going to be okay due to severe brain damage and asked if we were interested in donating his organs. As a mother hearing this, I walked out of the room immediately.”
Horak who is a donor herself, explained that after talking to Brad’s friends and hearing that Brad wished to donate his organs, she knew she was making the right decision. “I know that a piece of Brad is out there, and I just hope that more people are able to see the positives of organ donation,” she said.
Recipients of organ donations also expressed their gratitude on the day. Simon Shane, a heart recipient said, “I’m living proof of the value of organ donation.”
A recipient of a kidney, Sherinne Anna Bennet said if it wasn’t for the family who donated the organ, she wouldn’t be at the event.
Toubkin urged people to be more open to organ donation, and urged those who made the decision to be an organ donor to speak to their families about it.
Details: www.odf.org.za
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