17 months after waking up from a 14 day coma, with a second chance thanks to a loving family’s donated gift of life, when their loved ones journey had come to an end, I want to reiterate my gratitude by sharing what
I have been able to do thanks to my donor hero!
1. Helped create NSW Parliamentary Friends or Organ and Tissue Donation
2. Helped Service NSW introduce digital donor intent registration on Service Nsw App and other Government websites.
5. Assisted the introduction of a multi partisan review of the NSW 2012 Government plan to increase organ donation.
4. Helped WA Government enable Donor Families to celebrate their loved ones without fear of persecution under the HTTA.
5. Helped SA legislators to introduce legislation for posthumous recognition of deceased donors.
6. Helped to start a clean up of Stormwater across the waterways on the Central Coast.
7. Created an environmental art event to increase awareness and promote the beautiful environment on the Central Coast Council
8. Represented Australia in Golf, Trnnis and Ten Pin Bowling.
9. Played AFL 50 years after my first game of a sport I love.
10. Promoted AFL to juniors across the Hunter and Central Coast AFL
11. Performed StandUp Comedy with some great comedians
12. Got to act on the Set of a Netflix Drama
13. Helped promote Organ Donation and sport participation in Denmark.
14. Met some amazing politicians, volunteers and donor families with a passion to raise awareness for organ donation.
15. celebrated 25 years of marriage, my wife’s 50th birthday and my sons continued growth into an amazing person.
16. Written over 100 articles to promote Organ and Tissue Donation and Transplant Awareness.
17. Made detailed to submissions to multiple parliamentary enquires into increasing organ and tissue donation.
18. Joined NSW Health to promote better health outcomes for people across the central coast local health district.
19. Promoted the amazing Donor Heroes and their loving families across Australia.
20. Done whatever I can to ensure that the second chance I have been blessed to receive, has a lasting impact on Organ And Tissue Donation and my donor’s gift is maximised to help as many people as possible.
I know that none of what I have done in the past 17 months would have been possible without the amazing support of my family, friends and the surgeons and medical teams at the RPAH and RNSH.
Nor could I have been able to do anything without the loving donation of life made by a grieving family so close to Christmas 2021, who gave their #nextofkinconsent when their loved one passed. I will be forever grateful and will try every single day to honour the memory of my Anonymous Donor Hero and all donor heroes and families who give strangers a chance to live.
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