Sunday Snippets / Donate Life Week / The Last Race

Fabric designed by Me

And so we've come to the end of another busy week...

Some extra contract admin work came my way, which meant that there was no time for crafting.

Speech Bubble Blackboard by the Blackboard Boy

Even though this blog is a politics free zone, I have to say that I'm really disappointed about the ridiculous political circus that has dominated the media for the last few days, when the focus should have been on Donate Life Week.

Pretty Wall hanging gift from Vic - Gorgeous Crochet Bunting made by Trudi

I want to say a huge thankyou to everyone who emailed, left me a comment, or helped to spread the Donate Life message this week.

As a finale to Donate Life Week, there's a documentary called The Last Race on ABC1 at 6.30 PM tonight.

• About The Program

• Coinciding with DonateLife Week, a national week of raising awareness and promotion of organ and tissue donation, this dramatic film tracks a family's heart-wrenching dilemma when their beloved son is declared brain dead after a cycling accident.
  
  At the hospital, they wrestle with the decision to donate his organs, having never asked him his wishes and never having had the conversation among themselves.
  
  Meanwhile, in intensive care, a father is watching his teenage daughter with cystic fibrosis struggle to breathe and deteriorate to critical condition. She needs a new set of lungs to survive. Elsewhere in the hospital, a 45-year-old woman also is on the recipient list, where she has waited for two years.
  
  The cyclist's organs become available, but the doctor must decide whose need is greatest.
  
  Then the race is on.
  
  Fewer than one in five Australians has had memorable discussions with their loved ones about their donation wishes.

Sunday Snippets via Tinniegirl

Donate Life Week 2012

Today is the start of Donate Life Week 2012.

This year it's a lot more up close and personal.

Since I've been blogging, each year, at this time, I've written a little bit about organ donation, and how at some time, in the future, I would need a double lung transplant.

Well, that time came, and today marks my 172nd day on the waiting list.

I think about it every day.

From the Hottie Challenge

I know that I'm preaching to the converted here on the blog, as I've had so many messages and comments from everyone who has signed up to the national register, and has discussed it with their family.

So this year, just for something a little bit different, I'm going to issue a challenge....

The challenge is:

At some time during Donate Life Week (Sunday 19th - Sunday 26th February), have a discussion about organ donation with someone whom you've never discussed the issue with before.

It could be a co-worker, the checkout operator, the lady at the post office, your neighbour, one of your kiddies schoolteachers, the lollipop lady, or the person in the queue next to you at the shops.

Feel free to use me, or this blog to bring it up in the conversation. Maybe you could start with... Do you know its Donate Life Week? I have a friend/read a blog by someone who is waiting for a lung transplant....

If you do take on the challenge, I'd love it if you could come back and leave a comment to let me know!

Also feel free to pop this pic in your sidebar for the week and link it to the Donate Life website.

If you'd like to learn more about organ donation, or you would like some resources for your family, so that you can discuss the issue, the Donate Life website is a fantastic resource, jam packed full of everything you could ever need to know.

No matter what happens, your family will always need to give the final consent, so it's vitally important that they know your wishes, and that you sign up to the national register.

Thankyou... from the bottom of my poor overworked, enlarged, moderately pulmonary hypertensive heart and bronchiectasised lungs!

My Posts:
Donate Life Week 2011
Donate Life Week 2010
Donate Life Week 2009
Donate Life Week 2008


Lastnight in Sydney, the premiere screening was held for all of the short films that were created as part of The FilmLife Project.

I wanted to share a couple of the films.....

The first one was made by Jess Sparks. I would love it if you could spare 5 minutes to hear Jess's story.



The second one is by Josephine Lei, and it's actually really quite amusing... and less than 2 minutes!



All the short films are also available online here

The FilmLife Project Bloggers Challenge

What’s your take on or experience with organ donation, and why did you choose to take part in the FilmLife Blogger Challenge?   

For me, the answer to this question is simple.... I need some new strong healthy lungs.

I've been on the waiting list for a double lung transplant since August 31st 2011. I'm not quite sure how much longer I can last without them...


Blogging is a great way to be able to educate and to spread the message about the amazing gift of organ donation, and I'm hoping that lots of my fellow bloggers will also be inspired to answer these three simple questions.

I've been a registered organ donor ever since I was old enough to legally sign up. It wasn't until I was 27 that I was told that I would end up eventually needing a transplant myself.  Now ten years later, it's become a reality.

If you were to donate your organs, which one would you love to donate, and why?(nb. this question is intentionally quirky so feel free to be creative and have some fun with it)

If something happens to me, I'm donating everything.... except my pesky dodgy lungs of course (trust me - nobody wants them)!

I think my heart would be perfect for donation. It's grown big and strong from taking on all the extra workload and having to pump so fast while trying to distribute oxygenated blood around my body.

It's full of love for all my family and friends who have stuck by me along this wild and crazy medical ride.  


It has empathy and passion and creativity.... and seriously, who wouldn't want a bit of that?

Who in your family would you need to talk to about organ donation, to be sure your loved ones knew your wishes?

Absolutely everyone in my family, and all my friends know my wishes. We've discussed it endlessly. I'm also officially registered on the Australian Organ Donor Register via Medicare

I know that my family will ultimately have to make that final decision, so it's vitally important that they all know my wishes.



Would you like to join in the blogging challenge and answer the three questions?

Just blog your answers to the questions and add your details to the linky list. I'll tweet your post with the #filmlifeproject hashtag and it will then be added to the official FilmLife Blogger Challenge Page.






FilmLife Project Website
FilmLife Project on FB
FilmLife Project on Twitter

The FilmLife Project

Have you heard about the FilmLife Project?

As part of DonateLife Week 2012 (19th - 26th February), young filmmakers between the ages of 16 and 35 have the opportunity to make a 5 minute short film using the theme of organ and tissue donation, to raise awareness of organ donation, and specifically the very important issue of discussing your wishes with your family.

If you have a budding filmmaker in the family, its the perfect opportunity to have some fun while discussing an important issue. There are great prizes on offer and award winning filmmaker, and liver transplant recipient Paul Cox is one of the judges.

For those of us who are bloggers (not filmmakers), there's also a FilmLife Blogger Challenge.

I'm really hoping that all my fellow bloggers might join in and take on the challenge.....


From the FilmLife Blogger Challenge Page:

We’re looking for bloggers to help spark conversations about organ donation among young people, by taking part in a challenge we are putting to people in the engaged blogging community!

It’s helping us raise awareness not just about organ donation but also for the film festival in February where young people creatively interpret this fulsome topic and people’s experiences with it – from both sides of the track.

FilmLife Project is a collaborative project in conjunction with Donate Life Week 2012 (19-26 February), that aims to inspire and encourage young people to have conversations that ask and find out their loved ones wishes around organ and tissue donation.

Here’s how we’re asking our fabulous, engaged blogging community to take part.

A. Answer these questions:

 

1. What’s your take on or experience with organ donation, and why did you choose to take part in the FilmLife Blogger Challenge?
2. If you were to donate your organs, which one would you love to donate, and why?(nb. this question is intentionally quirky so feel free to be creative and have some fun with it)
   
3. Who in your family would you need to talk to about organ donation, to be sure your loved ones knew your wishes?

B. Create a mini-film as your FilmLife Project (optional):

 

We’re running a spin-off of the FilmLife Project on our Facebook page, where people capture a day from their life, this January, in 12 seconds. We’re calling it the 12 Seconds FilmLife Project. If you were in the mood, we’d love to see your 12 second video on the blog post too!

C. Link Your Blog

 

Please link your blog to www.filmlife.com.au so that anyone interested in submitting a film or attending the free filmmaking workshop on 21, 22, 28 January in Parramatta can register their interest. The workshop is worth $3,000 per person and there are only a few more places left.

D.  Tweet

 

Tweet your blog out using the hashtag #filmlifeproject - and we’ll retweet via our twitter account, @filmlifeproject.

For more information, here are some factsheets with statistics around organ donation in Australia to help you introduce your blog challenge. 

 

A huge thanks to all the bloggers who have already expressed interest and are taking part – your contributions will raise awareness and spark conversations about organ donation in young people and in doing so, help to save lives.

 

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I'm going to blog the answers to the blogging challenge questions over the weekend. Who else would like to join me?

FilmLife Project Website
FilmLife Project on FB
FilmLife Project on Twitter

PS - I have to thank Cathie for letting me know about it....