A new heart for a Navy trainer
Jack trains sailors for the Royal New Zealand Navy. Diagnosed with dilated cardiomyopathy in 2021, he received a donor heart soon after — and is living life to the fullest.
“There's a lot of people I don't know out there that have given me this chance to live, and I couldn't be more thankful enough for that.” — Jack, heart recipient
Jack plays a vital part in the New Zealand Defence Force training sailors in the Navy. In 2021, he was diagnosed with a dilated cardiomyopathy and shortly thereafter, he received a heart transplant. The only way this was possible was for someone to have been an organ donor. Knowing how precious a gift this was, Jack is extremely grateful and is now living his life to the fullest.
Learn about organ and tissue donation
Here are some of the common questions people ask about organ and tissue donation.
~500
people in Aotearoa are waiting for an organ transplant
5
organs can be donated after death in Aotearoa: heart, lungs, liver, kidneys and pancreas, and three types of tissue: eye tissue, skin and heart tissue.