At first glance it would be hard to imagine what 17-year-old Orlando Sinn has in common with 78-year-old Brian Donovan or 44-year-old Claire Ethridge.
However, this week they all shared their unique stories of receiving the gift of life from a totalstranger as part of the national celebrations of DonateLife Week.
Transplant Australia honoured these three transplant athletes in a special presentation to the Parliamentary Friends of Transplant Australia at the Parliament of Victoria on Wednesday, July 29.
The event brought together organ and tissue recipients, donor families, living donors, Members of Parliament, and community advocates to promote the gift of life and promote donor registration under the theme ‘be the reason someone else gets a second chance at life’.
Also speaking at the event was Laura Cristini whose mother-in-law, Carol, became an organ donor. Laura’s message was that the family decision was so much easier knowing it was Carol’s wish.
DonateLife Week is Australia’s national awareness week to encourage all Australians to register as organ and tissue donors and to have the conversation with their families.
The event was held as Transplant Australia prepares teams for both the Transplant Football World Cup which is being held in Germany in September and the Australian Transplant Games being held in Launceston, Tasmania later the same month.
- Orlando Sinn is one of 13 footballers selected to the Transplant Australia Football Team, who will competing in the Transplant Football World Cup in September in Frankfurt, Germany. His family received the call that a transplant was available just four days before his first birthday. Fast forward 16 years and it is hard to see the striker with explosive pace was once a toddler needing a liver-saving liver transplant.
- “As a child I was pretty self-conscious about my transplant and thought it was weird but as I grew older and joined this community it made me feel more involved and accepting of the special role I have in spreading the word of donating and living with a transplant,” Orlando said.
Just 20 months ago Claire Etheridge was soon to enter palliative care due to hypersensitive pneumonia. However following a lung transplant and four weeks in ICU, her health finally improved. She is now back walking her 8 year old son to school each day, working at the Austin Hospital and will compete in golf, netball, bowling and board games at the Australian Transplant Games.
- “It is important to realise that you could change someone’s life like you could never imagine,” Claire said.
- The year was 1982, the Commonwealth Games was in full swing in Brisbane and Australia was united against the damming of the Franklin River. And Melbourne’s Brian Donovan received a liver transplant. Forty-four years later the 78-year-old has travelled the world to the Australian and World Transplant Games celebrating life. More importantly he now has four grandchildren.
- The most important thing in my life after the transplant has been seeing my girls grow up, walking them down the aisle and watching my grandkids growing up,” Brian said.
Transplant Australia CEO, Chris Thomas, congratulated the Transplant Australia team travelling to the football world cup while also emphasizing the ‘feel good’ nature of the Australian Transplant Games where everyone shares a common bond – owing their lives to the generosity of someone else.
“These games are a chance to showcase the incredible second chance these athletes have been given through the gift of life. It is more than medals, it’s a celebration of health, achievement over adversity, gratitude and the opportunities made possible by the selfless act of organ and tissue donors,” Mr Thomas said.
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