Editorial: Let's spare terrible wait

Bethlehem College principal Eion Crosbie is someone has benefited from an organ donor. Photo / Thinkstock

I'm a firm believer in helping others.

A lot of us have the ability to help others, even after we have died.

Being an organ donor means you could potentially save someone's life. In yesterday's Bay of Plenty Times we revealed that in Tauranga city 57 per cent or 52,916 of the 92,785 current driver's licence holders had ticked the yes box to being an organ donor, while 56.5 per cent of the 35,412 licence holders in the Western Bay of Plenty region had done so.

Nationally 1,753,151 current licence holders had agreed to be organ donors.

I am one of those who has agreed to be an organ donor and I hope that one day my organs could be put to good use for someone else who might need them.

People of all ages can now be considered for donation. At the time of death the age and medical condition of the person will determine the organs and tissues that can be donated.

The Organ Donation New Zealand website says very few medical conditions will prevent a person from being able to donate. A person with severe asthma may not be able to donate lungs for transplantation but may be able to donate heart, liver, kidneys and eyes.

There are rules in this country which prevent me from donating blood. People who have lived in the United Kingdom, Republic of Ireland or France for more than six months between 1980 and 1996 cannot donate blood, heart valves and skin but are able to donate organs and eyes for transplantation.

Bethlehem College principal Eion Crosbie is someone who has benefited from an organ donor. He believes he wouldn't be alive today if it wasn't for the donated liver he received.

It must be painful being on a waiting list, hoping for a suitable organ to come up. I'm sure if more of us signed up to be organ donors more lives could be saved and people could be spared the agonising wait.

Organ Donation New Zealand spokeswoman Melanie Stevenson says it's vital people have those conversation with their families so their loved ones know their wishes beforehand.

I know it isn't always an easy topic of conversation, but it is one which needs to be had.