My brother's sight was saved by a pure act of humanity
It can be a confronting experience at the age of 16, after walking into the RTA to obtain your driver's licence, to be faced with the question, "Do you wish to become an organ donor?" Tick and flick. And if so, all or some? Which ones? It's hard because at this age, most people have hardly come to terms with their own mortality.
I had no idea. I'd like to keep my eyes, I thought. So I donated everything else. Who knows why I thought my eyes would be of any use to me. I was far more interested in getting my licence than spending any more time answering this question than I had to.
I was 18 when my brother, through an unfortunate accident at home, got dry cement powder in his face; it immediately began to eat away at his eye. After trips to specialists at the hospital and surgical cleaning, it became apparent that he was going to lose the sight in that eye unless he was able to have a corneal transplant. Even then, the chances were slim. This operation required a cornea from another person. Unfortunately, for him to attain these corneal tissues, it meant the loss of life of another young person.
But some weeks later, he received the operation at the Children's Hospital at Westmead, Sydney.
Throughout this and for a significant amount of time after the surgery, he was unable to attend school, unable to play sport, unable to go outside, unable to do things a normal teenage boy would do. He spent his days in darkness, as exposure to light would cause more damage to his eye. He never complained or asked why this had happened to him.
Just a few months ago, we were forwarded some correspondence from the donor family. We were able to write back to finally thank these people, who are essentially strangers, for making a decision, at what I can only imagine to be one of the most difficult times in their lives, to donate organs: a decision that saved my brother's sight.
I have now registered to donate all my organs.
Rachel Longhurst, Young, NSW
