NRL Partnership Announced at National Launch of DonateLife Week 2012
A partnership between the National Rugby League and the Australian Government to encourage more people to become organ and tissue donors was announced on 15 February at the national launch of DonateLife Week 2012.
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15 February 2012
A unique partnership between the National Rugby League (NRL) and the Australian Government to encourage more Australians to become organ and tissue donors was announced today by the Parliamentary Secretary for Health and Ageing, Catherine King.
The partnership was announced at the national launch of DonateLife Week 2012, which calls on all Australians to ask and know their families donation wishes.
Ms King said the NRL partnership would help to normalise organ and tissue donation as a conversation all families need to have.
“Very few Australians will die in the specific circumstances in hospital where organ donation is possible – in reality it is a rare event – whereas many more will be able to donate tissue. That is why every family conversation about donation wishes matters – every conversation could one day save lives,” said Ms King.
Launching a new television Community Service Announcement featuring NRL champions, the NRL’s Director of Community, Culture and Diversity, Ms Trish Crews said the NRL’s partnership would see DonateLife Week being talked about widely in the community.
“The NRL and One Community are proud to support DonateLife Week 2012 and encourage all Australians, particularly young people aged 18-29, to know their loved ones’ wishes with regards to organ donation,” Ms Crews said.
“Like the many successful community, educational and welfare programs we are involved with, DonateLife Week is all about making a difference to people’s lives – it’s about saving and improving the lives of others.”
NRL Ambassadors Alan Tongue, Mario Fenech, Ben Rogers and Mark Riddell attended the DonateLife Week launch in their capacity as DonateLife Champions to encourage Australians to talk about their donation wishes during DonateLife Week.
In launching this year’s DonateLife Week, the Governor General, Ms Quentin Bryce, announced the gifting of the DonateLife Book of Life to the National Library of Australia.
Published by the Organ and Tissue Authority, the DonateLife Book of Life includes the stories of more than 250 Australians whose loved one became a donor or who received a life-saving transplant, and highlights the importance of families knowing each other’s donation wishes.
A special plea was made to young Australians to talk about donation wishes by Melanie Plant, who shared her family’s story about teenage brother Mitchell, who became an organ donor after a sudden fatal car accident and saved the lives of four others.
“I know it is a difficult subject and one that most parents or kids don’t want to discuss, but it is so important for young Australians to ask and know the wishes of their loved ones and friends. We made a decision that day as a family, based on our beliefs and what we thought Mitch would have wanted. However it would have been made so much easier if we had known his wishes. We urge people to have the discussion today – with your parents, your friends, your family and your kids” said Melanie Plant.
DonateLife Week is led by the Organ and Tissue Authority as part of the Australian Government’s national reform agenda to increase organ and tissue donation for transplantation.
Download the National Rugby League DonateLife Week 2012 (30 sec) CSA: files.me.com/sportsfilm/xcrfrh.mov
Download the 2 min video of the Brennan family: http://bit.ly/wqBi3e
This has also been uploaded to YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EWyhKF2amEU
For more information contact the Parliamentary Secretary’s office on 02 6277 4320
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