Brent speaks to Novacastrian and film maker Richard Todd about his new documentry and contibution to the new controversial what would Jesus do ad for organ donations.
The key message is sign up to be an organ donor and tell your family your wishes.
1,400 Aussies on the organ transplant waiting list
+ 2,200 potential organ transplants fail to happen every year
= A DYING SHAME
Every year, 2,200 potential organ transplants fail to happen in Australia, while 1,400 people wait for the phone call that could ultimately change their life. Sadly, for 150 of them, time will run out before that call comes.
These are the statistics* that haunt Kate Hansen of Melbourne every day. She is one of those 1,400 on the waiting list. Along with six others whose stories are told in the film Dying to Live, Kate’s plight will cause a national rethink of this issue when the film hits cinemas nationwide in October.
The 32-year-old has been waiting seven years for a new pancreas and kidneys as a result of having Type 1 diabetes since she was four years old. In recent years her heart has stopped three times, and while paramedics have been able to revive her in each instance, she continues to face difficult decisions as a result of complications. These include having to amputate an infected toe so she could remain on the transplant waiting list, which for her and many others can often feel futile. Her life could be transformed overnight if just two organs from one of those additional 700 people compatible for donations were given to her.
Dying to Live is made by Richard Todd, the filmmaker who brought national attention to the coal seam gas debate with Frackman, a film that documented a grassroots movement and led to massive change in attitudes nation-wide. Richard hopes a similar attitudinal change can occur with the release of his latest movie, which is challenging to view but also incredibly uplifting and empowering.
“We, the Australian public, have it in our power to go from one of the lesser-performing transplant countries in the developed world to one of the best; what a wonderful Christmas present for Australians on the transplant list whose lives are often defined by uncertainty, pain and deteriorating quality,” says Richard. “Just imagine – if those 2,200 organs could be gifted before burial or cremation, we could obliterate the transplant waiting list almost immediately! If you have already signed up as a donor, or are keen to sign up, I implore you to take your closest relatives and friends to see this film so they can respect your choice around donation.
Current data shows 70% of Australians are willing to donate their organs and tissue, while only 36% are actually registered as donors. Nearly half of potential donations do not proceed because family members either do not know their loved one’s wish, or it is overturned in the hospital once they have passed.
Many Australians who previously recorded a donation decision through their driver’s license registration would be surprised to discover that it may no longer be recognised. Australian states, with the exception of South Australia, have over the past ten years scrapped this system as a means of registration. “That is why it is important for every Australian to know they can register online via www.dyingtolive.com.au, and to have a conversation with their family. Even if you have already registered, your family can still veto your decision in the hospital during what is of course a very distressing time, and it is important therefore to ‘own’ this decision together”.
The film provides audiences with an intimate, harrowing look into what life is like as the desperate but hopeful wait continues for many. The film’s incredible climax is a moment of pure joy that is sure to bring even the toughest person to tears.
For session times and to pre-purchase your tickets go to au.demand.film/dying-to-live. And because this is ‘cinema on demand’, if you can’t find a screening close by, you can host your own screening and sell tickets via your social media channels to your mates and colleagues. Demand.Film takes care of the rest – they reserve the theatre, manage ticket sales and ensure the delivery of the film. Once the ticket threshold is reached, everyone just sits back and enjoys the show.
Trailer, pre-purchase tickets & screening times: https://au.demand.film/dying-to-live/
Media interviews and screener requests: Drew Lambert 0425 200 606 or Zac Cooper 0420 460 605.
Images:
* https://donatelife.gov.au/about-donation/get-facts/facts-and-statistics