“I wasn’t 100% sure, as it was not really a subject we’d discussed, but she had mentioned something about it.” — Simon, Kathrin’s partner
In 2013, my fiancée Kathrin passed away suddenly due to what’s known as a subarachnoid brain haemorrhage.
It was at that time that the neurological team in the intensive care unit (ICU), who I was dealing with, realised she was a perfect candidate for organ donation and they asked whether she would be okay with that, or if she would have been okay with that.
I wasn’t 100% sure, as it was not really a subject we’d discussed, but she had mentioned something about it. So I contacted her brother who I’d been speaking to, and he confirmed that yes, she was definitely a donor.
Several hours later the Organ Donation NZ Co-ordinators, Maree Hulton and Lauren Sprenger turned up and there was a very easy process that we went through. I was just all over the place in terms of being still traumatised and in shock, and I was just running on adrenalin. But they knew this and it was very easy to work with them and work through all the paperwork.
Well I guess that Kathrin would be happy too, to know that her life hadn’t been a waste and that her death wasn’t in vain and that something good came out of it. It’s the only good thing in that sort of situation, I think, to know that other people have got a chance at life.
If donation is ever possible, your whānau or those closest to you will be asked what you would have wanted. Deciding now, and telling them early, means they'll know what to do.
New Zealand has no organ donor register, and the 'donor' tick on your driver licence is only an indication of your wishes. When donation is possible, a healthcare professional asks your family — or the people at your bedside — for their agreement, and which organs and tissues to donate.
If you've had the conversation with them, there is nothing else you need to do. Families also tell us that knowing their loved one's wishes makes the decision a little easier.
“I wasn’t 100% sure, as it was not really a subject we’d discussed, but she had mentioned something about it.” — Simon, Kathrin’s partner
In 2013, my fiancée Kathrin passed away suddenly due to what’s known as a subarachnoid brain haemorrhage.
It was at that time that the neurological team in the intensive care unit (ICU), who I was dealing with, realised she was a perfect candidate for organ donation and they asked whether she would be okay with that, or if she would have been okay with that.
I wasn’t 100% sure, as it was not really a subject we’d discussed, but she had mentioned something about it. So I contacted her brother who I’d been speaking to, and he confirmed that yes, she was definitely a donor.
Several hours later the Organ Donation NZ Co-ordinators, Maree Hulton and Lauren Sprenger turned up and there was a very easy process that we went through. I was just all over the place in terms of being still traumatised and in shock, and I was just running on adrenalin. But they knew this and it was very easy to work with them and work through all the paperwork.
Well I guess that Kathrin would be happy too, to know that her life hadn’t been a waste and that her death wasn’t in vain and that something good came out of it. It’s the only good thing in that sort of situation, I think, to know that other people have got a chance at life.
If donation is ever possible, your whānau or those closest to you will be asked what you would have wanted. Deciding now, and telling them early, means they'll know what to do.
New Zealand has no organ donor register, and the 'donor' tick on your driver licence is only an indication of your wishes. When donation is possible, a healthcare professional asks your family — or the people at your bedside — for their agreement, and which organs and tissues to donate.
If you've had the conversation with them, there is nothing else you need to do. Families also tell us that knowing their loved one's wishes makes the decision a little easier.