What is DonateLife Week?

DonateLife Week 2013 will take place from Sunday 24 February to Sunday 3 March.

DonateLife Week is Australia's national awareness week to promote organ and tissue donation and is led by the Organ and Tissue Authority as part of the Australian Government's National Reform Agenda to increase organ and tissue donation rates.

During DonateLife Week, the organ and tissue sector will be holding a range of events to encourage Australians to set time aside during the week to talk about organ and tissue donation.

You can register your 2013 DonateLife Week events using the DonateLife Week Event Registration form (357KB PDF)  and send it to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

'Make your wish count’ during DonateLife Week 2013.

DonateLife Week is Australia’s national awareness week to promote organ and tissue donation. In 2013, DonateLife Week will take place from Sunday 24 February – Sunday 3 March.

Events will be taking place across Australia during DonateLife Week. These events provide an opportunity to start discussions about how we can make our wish count as an organ and tissue donor.

Why is this important?

Organ and tissue donation transforms lives. One donor can transform the lives of up to 10 people and significantly improve the lives of many more.

Many Australians do not know that less than 2% of people will die in hospital in the specific circumstances where organ donation is even possible – although many more people can become tissue donors. The majority of people are more motivated to decide about becoming an organ and tissue donor when they learn how few people can actually become organ donors.

So that’s why we all need to talk about it during DonateLife Week. That’s why we all need to decide whether we want to become an organ and tissue donor.

And to make every wish count, every Australian family needs to know each other’s wishes.

This is because in Australia the family of every potential donor is always asked to confirm the donation wishes of their loved one before organ and/or tissue donation can proceed.

In DonateLife Week, we are asking all Australians to discover, decide and discuss organ and tissue donation so that their family can make their wish count, should the situation arise.

Theme

The national theme for DonateLife Week 2013 is ‘Make your wish count – discover, decide, discuss organ and tissue donation’.

Key messages

The DonateLife Week 2013 key messages are:

• One day you could transform the lives of 10 or more people by becoming an organ and tissue donor.
• To make your wish count, you need to register your decision on the Australian Organ Donor Register and, most importantly, share your wish with your family and close friends.
• 1 in 2 Australians do not know that less than 2% of people die in hospital in the specific circumstances where organ donation is even possible – although many more people can become tissue donors.
• The majority of people (84%) are more motivated to decide about becoming an organ and tissue donor when they realise how few people can actually become organ donors.
• To optimise every potential organ and tissue donation, we all need to make our wish count.
• During DonateLife Week, we are asking every Australian family to ask and know each other’s wishes.
• This is because in Australia the family of every potential donor is always asked to confirm the donation wishes of their loved one before organ and/or tissue donation can proceed.
• If you have decided to become an organ and tissue donor, share your decision with your loved ones this week.
• And make sure you ask and know your loved one’s wishes so that you can make their wish count, should the situation arise.

This DonateLife Week all Australians are encouraged to:

• Discover the facts about organ and tissue donation;
• Decide about becoming a donor and register their decision with the Australian Organ Donor Register; and most importantly
• Discuss their wishes with their close friends and family, so that they can make their wish count.
• For more information visit www.donatelife.gov.au

There are plenty of ways you can show your support and help us generate maximum exposure to get Australian families talking about their donation wishes

The DonateLife Week 2013 Supporters Kit

Check out the DonateLife Week 2013 Supporters Kit , a free resource to help you promote DonateLife Week and its key messages in your workplace, local media, on your Facebook and Twitter pages, local schools, hospitals and in your community to name a few.

The DonateLife Book of Life

The DonateLife Book of Life contains stories of hope about organ and tissue donation written by everyday Australians. Donor recipients, donor families, live donors and everyday people share their experiences in the DonateLife Book of Life.

Read the online version of the DonateLife Book of Life, or submit your own story to the DonateLife Book of Life.