Australians asked to ‘leave a light on’ to support organ and tissue donation

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Australian households are asked to upload a picture of their porch light or candle to the Donor Families Australia Facebook page to support organ and tissue donation.

Commencing at 6 pm tonight (18 May), Donor Heroes Night is designed to celebrate the lives of approximately 25,000 Australian organ and tissue donors who have given the ultimate gift so that others may live.

Philippa Delahoy, the secretary of Donor Families Australia and value strategist at Pfizer, lost her husband Scott due to complications from swine flu in 2011.

“Scott spent his career working in the pharmaceutical industry and was passionate about the benefits of medical research," said Ms Delahoy.

"Scott was also a registered organ donor and it was an honour to grant his donation wishes following his sudden passing. Although our families miss him every day, we could not be prouder of what Scott has done for others.

"Scott was a huge sci-fi fan and I think he would be amused at the thought of his organs living on long after him. Both recipients of Scott’s kidneys continue to live well, which is a fitting legacy to my personal donor hero.”

Over 1,750 Australians are currently waitlisted for organ transplants.

People who would like to take part in the event are asked to take a photo of a porch light or candle and upload it with a comment to their social media accounts, tagging @DonorFamiliesAustralia on Facebook or via the Internet (facebook.com/DonorFamiliesAustralia).

Associated hashtags are #DonorHeroesNight #DonorHeroes #DonorFamilies #leavealighton #forevergrateful